Crystal Palace chairman confirms plan to try sign Conor Gallagher permanently

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has confirmed that he will look to sign Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher permanently this summer.

The 22-year-old signed a new four-year contract at Stamford Bridge before heading to Palace on loan last year, and he has been an instant hit with the Eagles, with his eight goals and five assists helping force his way into the England setup as well.

There is no option for Palace to buy Gallagher permanently in his loan contract and Thomas Tuchel is known to be keen on bringing him back into the Chelsea squad for next season, but Parish is prepared to try anyway.

“Of course [Palace would want a permanent deal]," Parish said. "But the player is the number one person. He knows exactly what his priorities are and he knows exactly what he's doing. I'm sure at the end of the season. Conor will work out what he thinks the best thing for him is and that will that will be the catalyst for it.

“If there's an opportunity to get him or even Ruben Loftus-Cheek then of course. These are top players and it's been brilliant having him here this year, not just because of what he does on the pitch. Also because of the way he is around the place, the way he is with the media and supporters and because of how special a lad he is."

Chelsea are ready to shake up their midfield this summer and could look to make space for Gallagher by offloading Jorginho, who is attracting interest from Maurizio Sarri's Lazio as he approaches the final 12 months of his contract.

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After missing out on playing in the FA Cup semi-final as Palace fell to his parent club, Gallagher insisted that he is only thinking about the remainder of the season and not his long-term future.

"I want to play well, help the team, hopefully score a couple more goals and hopefully just finish as strong as possible," he said. "I am literally just focusing on the end of the season.

"There’s a few games left and that’s the most important thing right now. I am not thinking about Chelsea yet, I am just thinking about Palace and the end of the season."