Man Utd told Cole Palmer ‘starting point’ fee as Chelsea manager Alonso ‘could sacrifice star name’ | OneFootball

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso reportedly ‘could sacrifice a star name’ this summer, with Manchester United target Cole Palmer among those who could leave.

Liverpool legend Alonso has returned to the Premier League by joining Chelsea ahead of next season, and he has a major job on his hands at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are coming off a disastrous 2025/26 campaign, during which the Premier League giants sacked two managers and failed to qualify for Europe ahead of next season.

Interestingly, Alonso has been named manager instead of head coach, so he will have more control over transfers than his predecessors and he will inevitably have to sanction at least one big-money exit this summer to balance the books.

Chelsea reportedly face sanctions over their immense spending in recent windows and a report from The Sun claims Alonso ‘could sacrifice a star name with even Palmer having a price’, with Moises Caicedo said to be the only ‘untouchable’ player at Stamford Bridge.

The report claims Chelsea ‘have to cash in on a star to keep their heads above water financially’, while they ‘are said to be targeting at least two, preferably three high-level signings capable of going straight into Alonso’s first team’.

Regarding Palmer and his valuation, the report claims:

It has also been reported that Man City have made a surprise ‘offer’ to re-sign Palmer following the appointment of ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, but the England international has also been heavily linked with a move to Man Utd.

Man Utd told to sell two players to sign Cole Palmer

Palmer has publicly played down talk of an exit from Man Utd, but there have been suggestions that he is unsettled at Chelsea and he grew up as a Red Devils supporter.

He has been touted as a potential long-term replacement for Bruno Fernandes, and Chris Waddle thinks Man Utd should prioritise his arrival.

“Looking at Manchester United, Casemiro is going, they’ve got to get rid of Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund has to be moved on,” Waddle told BoyleSports.

“There’s another five or six players they need to get off the wage bill to allow Carrick to bring in players that he thinks will do the job.

“If that frees up the money to go and get people like Cole Palmer and get them really working on the ball and doing what we know they can do in possession then he could become a great player again.”