Gareth Southgate has sent a message to Conor Gallagher amid Aston Villa transfer talk

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been named among Conor Gallagher’s growing list of admirers.

Chelsea midfielder Gallagher shone during a loan spell at Crystal Palace last season, where he scored eight goals in 34 Premier League matches. His form for Palace caught the eye of Gareth Southgate and Gallagher now has four England caps to his name having made his debut last year.

Gallagher is due to link up with Chelsea for pre-season with Thomas Tuchel keen to take a closer look at the 22-year-old. Tuchel says it is down to Gallagher to earn a spot in Chelsea’s plans for next season.

Tuchel already has N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic jostling for position in his midfield, which makes Gallagher’s task incredibly difficult. Gallagher won’t want to risk being benched at Chelsea in the lead up to the World Cup in Qatar.

But Southgate insists that Gallagher’s World Cup chances won’t be impinged by his Chelsea return. “In the end we have to pick and react off what we see at club level and Conor’s experiences at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace have been brilliant for him,” Southgate said.

“So if he goes somewhere else next season or stays at Chelsea, I’m sure he’ll keep developing. He’s got a fabulous mindset, which is the key. He’s a player that will maximise his potential because of his mentality.

“He looks like one of those who, whatever hurdles are in front of him, he’s going to break them down. I’d be very optimistic about how he would respond to any decision that is made.”