West Ham are one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer, according to a new update.

Has Gallagher struggled this season?

The 23-year-old enjoyed an excellent spell on loan at Crystal Palace over the 21/22 season, but once it was done and dusted, he returned to Stamford Bridge. The hope was that he would take his Eagles form with him to the Blues, but he found it difficult to be a regular throughout last season.

Gallagher only started 18 of Chelsea's 38 league matches, coming off the substitutes' bench another 17 times, but just three goals and one assist came his way, compared to eight and three respectively at Palace last term respectively.

For that reason, it could be that the Englishman leaves the Blues on a permanent basis during the summer transfer window, in order to be a key starter elsewhere. It doesn't look as though there are a lack of clubs showing an interest in him, which is where West Ham come into play.

Could West Ham sign Gallagher in the summer?

According to talkSPORT's Alex Crook, the Hammers are in the mix to sign the £40m-rated midfielder before the beginning of next season:

"Gallagher is not believed to have done enough this season to convince the Blues hierarchy that he ill be a part of their long-term plans.

"West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, where he had a successful loan spell, have all been alerted to the possibility of signing the £40million-rated midfielder."

Gallagher could be an excellent signing by West Ham this summer, helping partially fill the likely void left by Declan Rice, who looks almost certain to move on and join one of the Premier League's powerhouse clubs.

Granted, the Chelsea man is a more attack-minded player than Rice, but he possesses both technical quality and a very strong work ethic, having enjoyed an 84.5% pass completion rate and averaged 1.3 tackles per game in the league this season. At 23, he is also still such a young player and he could benefit so much from starting every week, maturing more as a footballer and not growing stagnant, as could potentially be the case at Stamford Bridge.

Former Blues manager Graham Potter called him "fantastic" during their time together at the club, while six caps for an England team brimming with top-class midfield talent further highlights what a talented player he is, and why West Ham would be wise to make a move for him.