CHELSEA ‘HIKE’ COLE PALMER’S ‘VALUATION’ AMID RIVAL INTEREST AS TWO REASONS FOR MAN CITY SALE EMERGE
According to reports, Chelsea have decided to ‘hike’ Cole Palmer’s asking price amid interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool.
Palmer leaving Man City for Chelsea was one of last summer’s shock Premier League transfers.
He was initially expected to just leave the Etihad on loan but Chelsea secured his services in a deal worth around £42m.
This has been another difficult season for Chelsea but Palmer has proven to be a sensational signing as he has emerged as a credible candidate for Player of the Year in the Premier League.
The talented Englishman has forced his way into the conversation for the European Championships by grabbing 20 goals and nine assists in his 27 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this term.
Chelsea ‘set bumper valuation’…
Palmer’s form has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool as it’s been suggested that Chelsea could be forced to cash in on the 21-year-old to ease their Financial Fair Play issues.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea have ‘set a bumper valuation’ for Palmer as they would want ‘between £80-100m’ for the midfielder.
‘Well-placed sources have told Football Insider that Chelsea could seek over double what they paid the Citizens for the attacker’s services, but they are not expected to sanction a departure this summer.
‘It is believed that the monster fees paid for the likes of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who were both sold for no less than £100million, have informed the club’s valuation of Palmer.’
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Chelsea face Man City at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend and this game comes a couple of days after Pep Guardiola’s side were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on penalties.
Man City have been questioned for sanctioning the sale of Palmer but a report from The Guardian claims his exit came about for two main reasons.
The report claims: ‘Sources with knowledge of the Palmer deal believe the 21-year-old needed to leave City because he is a free spirit and was not seen by Guardiola as the right profile for the team’s structure.’
Speaking during his pre-Chelsea press conference, Guardiola revealed that Palmer “asked to leave for two seasons” before his exit was finalised.
“He’s an exceptional player,” Guardiola told a news conference.
“I said many times, I didn’t give the minutes that maybe he deserved and now he has at Chelsea. I understand completely.
“He’s a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He’s playing fantastic so what can I say? The decision has been made for many reasons.
“He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? I said stay because Riyad [Mahrez] is gone, but for two seasons he wanted to leave.”
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