Chelsea's despicable treatment of homegrown Conor Gallagher is a ...

Two years into the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium's ownership of Chelsea, it's increasingly difficult to be shocked by the decisions made at the highest level - but they are still trying their hardest nonetheless. In the latest in a string of questionable moves in the transfer market, the club is on the cusp of selling academy graduate Conor Gallagher off to Atletico Madrid.

The 24-year-old emerged as a key player and fan favourite last season as an ever-present in Mauricio Pochettino's midfield, even becoming the Blues' stand-in captain on multiple occasions and often hauling his team-mates over the line as Chelsea finally started making some progress in the second half of the campaign.

But in the eyes of the club's decision-makers, all of that counts for nothing in the face of the threat of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). After a mind-bending spend of well over £1 billion ($1.25bn) in two years of Boehly-Clearlake's stewardship, Gallagher - who has been at Chelsea since the age of eight - is viewed as expendable as the hierarchy desperately seeks to balance the books.