Cole Palmer breaks silence on Manchester United links amid claims he wants to leave Chelsea
Cole Palmer has finally addressed reports that he hopes to leave Chelsea to join boyhood club Manchester United.
On Saturday evening, Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge for a clash that could prove crucial in the race for Champions League qualification.
The match will also be a big match for Chelsea superstar Palmer, who has been a revelation for the Blues since joining from Manchester City in September 2023.
Since then, the Englishman has scored 53 goals and assisted 32 across 124 appearances for Chelsea and was a key part of their success in the Club World Cup last summer.
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It therefore comes as no surprise that Palmer is believed to be at the very top of several club's lists of transfer targets ahead of the summer transfer window, including United.
In recent months several reports have suggested that Palmer would welcome a move back to Manchester to play for his boyhood club, but ahead of Saturday's match he's spoken out to reveal he has no intention of leaving Chelsea.
“Everyone just talks. When I see it I just laugh," Palmer told The Guardian.
"Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Maybe I’ll miss it if I don’t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there’s nothing there for me anyway.
“I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea. We’ve still got a lot to play for.
Palmer's comments come after a recent report said he felt 'disillusioned' at Chelsea and would have his pick of United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid should he decide to leave either before or after the World Cup this summer.
However, conversations with club captain and fellow England international Reece James, who penned a new six-year contract last month, convinced Palmer that Chelsea was the place to be for the foreseeable future.
He added: "Reece won’t sign a six-year contract if he’s not spoken to the owners and the directors.
“Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn’t sign a new contract if he didn’t know what was going on.”
As it stands, Palmer's deal with Chelsea runs until 2033.
Topics:Â Cole Palmer, Chelsea, Premier League, Football, Reece James, Man Utd
Ben McCrum