Cole Palmer transfer ‘dependent’ on one condition as Chelsea tipped to ‘accept £130m offer’ | OneFootball

Cole Palmer’s proposed exit from Chelsea is said to be “dependent” on one condition amid interest from Manchester United.

Partly due to Chelsea’s struggles this season, Palmer has been heavily linked with a potential exit from Stamford Bridge in recent months.

This is also because the England international grew up as a Man Utd supporter and has been mooted as a long-term replacement for Bruno Fernandes.

The 2025/26 campaign has been frustrating for Palmer, who has had several injuries, but he remains one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe and would have plenty of options if he opted to leave.

Man Utd have reportedly been ‘approached’ over a deal to sign Palmer, and Chelsea legend Joe Cole believes his exit is “dependent” on the Champions League.

“Obviously, we want him to stay at Chelsea, he’s been a great player for the club. He still is a great player for the club,” Cole told GOAL.

“I think the situation with Chelsea is Champions League dependent for a lot of these players.

“No matter how long you have players tied on contracts, you don’t want unhappy players.

“And if you’re not, as a club, delivering the platform for Cole Palmer to play on, at the very least, his head’s going to be turned. Because he wants to play at the top level in football. Of course he does.

“Again, it’s going to be Champions League dependent. We’ll have to see what happens in the summer.”

Chelsea to ‘accept £130m offer’ for Cole Palmer

Last week, football finance expert Stefan Borson explained why he thinks Chelsea will ‘accept a £130m offer’ for Palmer, though he suspects only two clubs could afford to sign him.

“Next season is going to be interesting depending on what happens with Europe and their transfer business this summer,” Borson told Football Insider.

“It also depends on whether they decide to sell one of the success stories, so Palmer or Fernandez. But it’s very hard to make a profit on Fernandez.

“It’s easier to make a profit on Palmer, but the question is where’s he going to go? For the sake of discussion, let’s say they want £130m. We know there’s probably two teams that can do it if they theoretically wanted to, and that’s Real Madrid and PSG.

“I don’t think anybody else can do that deal. Frankly, I’m not sure that either of those clubs would be interested in doing that deal.

“Fernandez, let’s say someone will pay £80m for him, but it’s not going to make any profit, so that’s the problem there.

“Of course, they’re going to lose a key player, and you would think they have to replace that key player, so how does that really advance you?”