European giants 'tipped to make £150m bid' for Cole Palmer as Chelsea star drops masterclass vs Tottenham
A European giant has been tipped to bid £150 million for Chelsea star Cole Palmer next summer.
Palmer took his seasonal Premier League tally to 11 goals and six assists after scoring twice and assisting Enzo Fernandez's goal in Chelsea's 4-3 win over Tottenham.
His second goal - a Panenka penalty - saw him break the record set by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in registering the most league goal contributions (37) in a calendar year. The record had previously been set by Hasselbaink in 2001.
Speaking after the game, Palmer spoke about the notion that Chelsea, who are in second place in the league table and four points behind Liverpool, are title contenders - something asked towards his manager Enzo Maresca in recent weeks.
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But despite the huge overhaul in players over the past two years, Chelsea are now in a position where they should be able to have a relatively settled squad moving forwards - with their key stars on huge contracts.
Palmer falls into that bracket, having signed a two-year extension in the summer to take his current deal up to 2033.
As a result, it will take a significant fee to prize him away from Stamford Bridge - but one club would be able to pay it.
That's according to Liverpool legend Graeme Souness, who believes that Real Madrid would consider launching a £150 million offer to add Palmer to their already star-studded squad.
Writing in the Daily Mail in October, he said: "Chelsea paid £40 million for Palmer, but if Real Madrid come knocking next summer and he is still at the level he is showing, I would not be surprised if they got an offer of £150 million for him.
"He's a young man, so we're going early on this call, but if this is Palmer's level and he can be consistently this good, he's going to be a top man.
"He has got silky skills, athleticism and a fabulous football brain. There's simply nothing to dislike about him.
"He's 22. At that age, no-one ought to be that good. I like his temperament, too."
Topics: Cole Palmer, Chelsea
Ryan Smart