Chelsea January FFP development will help Daniel Levy and Tottenham complete 'standout' Conor Gallagher transfer

We’re delighted to welcome former Scotland right-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

Chelsea's need to balance their books to remain within the Premier League's financial fair play rules could work in Tottenham and Daniel Levy's favour when pursuing a deal for Conor Gallagher, according to Alan Hutton.

The England international has been the subject of plenty of transfer speculation during the January window, with Chelsea reportedly open to offers for the midfielder, while Spurs remain interested in securing his signature [Sky Sports, 22 December]

Tottenham has worked hard to sign the 23-year-old during the summer transfer window until the Blues decided to put the brakes on any potential move and Gallagher has remained an important part of Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

However, Hutton believes that Spurs and Levy may have more hope of getting a deal over the line in the closing stages of the January window as Chelsea may need to accept "a lot of money" to remain within the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

"I think it's an interesting one because I really like him as a player," Hutton told Tottenham News.

"As we've seen in recent weeks he has been the captain when certain players have not been playing and I think he's been a standout player. He's homegrown, why would you want to get rid of somebody like that?

"But they've spent a lot of money and I understand that maybe they need to balance the books and I think that could fall into Tottenham's favour.

"It's going to be a lot of money, so it's going to come down to if Daniel Levy and Tottenham are willing to spend that amount, but if they could and they bring him in, I think he makes the team better."

In 20 Premier League appearances this season, Gallagher has managed to lay on four assists for his Chelsea teammates while remaining one of the only consistent members of Pochettino's team week in and week out at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea manager is understood to be reluctant to part ways with the 23-year-old this month, but now that the Premier League have shown that they are clamping down on overspending, those above him may well be forced to let Gallagher leave should a big offer come in.

Ultimately, the ball is well and truly in Spurs' and in particular, Levy's court.

In other Tottenham news, Hutton believes it will take a "huge fee" from Real Madrid to sign Cristian Romero

For more Tottenham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.