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Chelsea have once again insisted that midfielder Conor Gallagher is not for sale.
The 21-year old academy graduate has never played a senior game for the club, but has been sent on a season long loan moves, including a campaign with West Bromwich Albion last season.
A number of clubs wanted to take him in the summer, with Crystal Palace eventually winning the race, and his form this season has been a revelation under Patrick Vieira, scoring four goals in 11 appearances, and producing a string of impressive performances.
That earned him England recognition from Gareth Southgate and he made his international debut as a second-half substitute in the World Cup qualifying rout of San Marino on Monday night.
However, that has just added to his value, and Palace know now that there is little chance of signing him on a permanent basis once his loan period ends.
The challenge for Chelsea, though, will be to find a way to match his first-team football ambitions when he returns to Stamford Bridge.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.