One Manchester United coach has revealed that the club were once close to signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City before his rise and emergence as a world-class player at Chelsea.
Cole Palmer is a boyhood Manchester United supporter from Wythenshawe, the same place where Marcus Rashford grew up.
But somehow, the incredible 22-year-old played in the academy of rivals Manchester City and then joined London side Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
United supporters have often wondered why the club could never bring Palmer into their own Academy setup. The attacking midfielder still never hides his support of the club and claims that Wayne Rooney was his idol growing up.
However, United cannot be faulted for not trying to sign Palmer, with the club’s Under-18s coach Colin Little revealing that a move for the player was once close several years ago.
United coach reveals how close Palmer transfer was
Little, 52, has been part of the Academy setup at United since 2009 and has helped the development of several stars, including Rashford and Anthony Elanga.
The former Altrincham striker has detailed that United were “close” to signing Palmer when he was 16, with the player “umming and ahhing” about remaining at the Etihad Stadium.
Ultimately, Little details that City made an improved offer to Palmer after United’s interest, which ended up scuppering a deal which the United coach admits “would’ve been nice”.
“We were close to getting Cole Palmer when he was about 16, believe it or not,” Little revealed on the Talk of the Devils podcast.
“He was umming and ahhing, and I knew he was a big United fan. He was at that age where you’re allowed to leave.
“I think City in the end made him a good enough offer but really he was always a United fan and he was close.
“I think City needed to show him a bit more love and that kind of stuff and we never quite got it over the line, it would’ve been nice if we did.”
Palmer deal has drifted away from United
Palmer is now one of the most highly rated players in the Premier League, even though he’s recently been going through a rough patch at Chelsea.
Since his move to Stamford Bridge, Palmer has made 78 appearances and scored 38 goals. He also has registered 21 assists in that time period.
Some United supporters are still dreaming of Palmer eventually getting his dream move to United in the future, potentially as a replacement for Bruno Fernandes when he leaves.
However, that is much easier said than done now that Palmer is considered as one of Europe’s elite talents and has eight years left on his staggering contract at Chelsea.
Any deal for Palmer would cost well over £100 million, which United simply cannot afford at the moment. However, in the long term, you can never rule anything out in football.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.