 "Cole Palmer has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United. Image: Reuters")
European and especially English media are littered with reports that Manchester United could soon sign Col Palmer from Chelsea as the England playmaker is now feeling “homesick” and wants to return to the northwestern city. But it seems all those reports are way off the mark, and merely dishing out rumours to their readers.
We are not saying so because Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said the same about 23-year-old Palmer on Tuesday.
“I’m not surprised at the timing. A new manager comes in and all of a sudden there’s people (looking to) unsettle. It’s not true. Cole’s here, he’s very happy and I can’t wait to see him on the pitch,” Rosenior said when asked about the rumours linking Palmer to Man United before Chelsea’s match against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League.
Palmer would cost Man United a bomb
“There’s no reason for an assurance. It’s so unrealistic. It’s come from nowhere, there’s nothing in it. There’s no reason to have the conversation, that’s where I’m at.”
While Palmer, who helped Chelsea win the Club World Cup last year, has seen his participation restricted to just 13 matches in all competitions in the ongoing season due to recurring injury problems, we are saying that he will be staying back at the London club because of the possible cost involved in luring him away from the Blues.
Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023 on a €47 million deal, signing a whopping contract till 2031. That deal was extended by two more years to 2033 in 2024 after Palmer won the Premier League Young Player of the Season award. So he still has seven-and-a-half years left on his Chelsea contract.
According to transfermarkt.co.uk, Palmer is worth at least €120 million, which is around $143-144 million. But considering that Palmer still has over half a decade to go on his contract, Chelsea could very well aim to get more than $150 million if they decide to sell Palmer.
Chelsea not willing to sell Palmer
Will Man United be willing to pay that much money?
One of the most trusted sources in England, Sky Sports correspondent Kaveh Solhekol, feels Chelsea are not interested in selling Palmer at all, in fact. They feel the attacking midfielder is happy at the club and they see him as an asset they want to hold onto.
And as we said a bit earlier, United will have to dish out an English transfer record, and something very close to the world transfer record to land Palmer. Which looks highly unlikely. United, under new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, had been cutting down on expenses, and while they may still be ready to spend big on players, spending that kind of money at this moment doesn’t look like a reality.