Man Utd reach big decision on blockbuster Cole Palmer move as Chelsea set tantalising asking price | OneFootball

Manchester United have reportedly made a final decision on whether they will make a blockbuster swoop for Red Devils fan Cole Palmer this summer, amid reports that Chelsea have named their asking price for the player.

The England playmaker continues to be heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge following a frustrating campaign for himself and the club, who are now on their third manager of the season after the sackings of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

The 24-year-old has been nothing short of a revelation since his £40million move from Manchester City in 2023, winning the Premier League Young Player of the Year award at the end of his first season in west London.

Palmer had a staggering 42 goal involvements that season and scored a further 18 goals last term as Chelsea, under Maresca, sealed Champions League qualification and also lifted the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup trophies.

And while the boyhood Man Utd fan has reached double figures for the season again, he has struggled to find his form top again, leading to doubts that he could miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad for the upcoming tournament in North America.

As our sources have been confirming for months, Palmer is unsettled at Chelsea and would welcome the chance to head back to Manchester and join United, the team he supported growing up, especially after they secured a spot in next season’s Champions League.

And while United have been strongly tipped to land Palmer this summer, the Daily Express now reports they have backed away from any deal and have ruled out an eye-catching summer swoop.

The report adds that while Old Trafford chiefs have big admiration for Palmer, they do not view him as a ‘primary objective’, given their need to at least two central midfielders and defensive reinforcements instead.

However, the Express adds that if United have a chance of heart, Chelsea are quoting a tantalising £90m (€104m / $122m) asking price to part company with their top asset.

Palmer currently remains under contract until 2033, but it looks increasingly unlikely that he will see out that deal, whether that ends up being a switch to United or elsewhere.

And former Blues midfielder Andy Townsend feels that the attacking midfielder will need to leave Stamford Bridge to ‘rediscover his game’.

“First and foremost, Cole Palmer needs to rediscover his game,” Townsend told BetVictor. “From where he was a year ago, compared to where he is now is chalk and cheese.

“He needs something. I get the impression with Cole that he’s looking around the team and saying: ‘Who’s inspiring me? Who’s getting me going? Who’s really there to carry the fight with me?’

“There aren’t too many at Chelsea. I think Joao Pedro is a real talent. His performance at Villa Park earlier this season was one of the best I’ve seen from a striker anywhere this season. It was terrific.

“Enzo [Fernandez] looks like he’s already laying the foundations for getting out, with what’s been said and done recently.

“So with Cole, the problem might be at a club like Chelsea when so much traffic comes and goes, he might eventually think he’s the one that has to go.

“If you’re going to keep seeing better players come in and then go, or the best young talent being sold for profit, then sometimes after a while it can frustrate you.

“It wouldn’t surprise me at some point if things don’t rapidly improve, that he turns around and says: ‘I think I might have to go elsewhere.’

Palmer is due back in action on Saturday when ninth-placed Chelsea head to Champions League-chasing Liverpool in the Premier League, with the Blues now pushing to secure a Europa League spot as their best remaining avenue for European football this season.