Palace eyeing Conor return

TOP CLASS: Gallagher

CRYSTAL PALACE are confident of re-signing Conor Gallagher on loan if Chelsea successfully hijack Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong.

Newcastle and West Ham are also keen on 22-year-old Gallagher, whose future remains up in the air despite an agreement that he would spend this season at Stamford Bridge after last term’s loan spell at Palace.

But Gallagher is understood to be most keen

— if he agrees to leave — on a return to Selhurst Park, a deal that could be agreed by the weekend.

Gallagher played just one minute at the end of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Everton, however, and six minutes of Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Spurs.

The club has also signed Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka (18) and Inter Milan rising star Cesare Casadei (19) with the contracts of both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho down to their last 12 months.

Dutchman De Jong (25) has been chased by United all summer.

Interested

But he has remained steadfast in his insistence that he does not want to be forced out by his club Barcelona.

Should that happen, De Jong is more interested in playing Champions League football at Chelsea than joining United.

The Blues are ready to bide their time in a bid to drive De Jong’s price down.

But Barcelona are looking for upwards of €70m for their man.

Chelsea are still keen on Everton winger Anthony Gordon after seeing two bids rejected with the latest reaching €53m.

Last season’s FA Cup and League Cup finalists are also preparing to move for Leicester defender Wesley Fofana with the Foxes looking for about €95m.

And they are set to return to Barcelona too with a bid for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.