Chelsea ‘agree’ to sign £45m Man City attacker as ‘quick resolution’ is achieved after ‘green light’
According to reports, Chelsea and Manchester City have ‘reached an agreement in principle’ over £45m attacker Cole Palmer.
It’s been made clear in recent days that Chelsea are keen to sign a new attacker or two before the summer transfer window closes on Friday night.
The Blues missed out on Crystal Palace star Michael Olise earlier this month. They were subsequently linked with Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson but they have now switched their focus to Man City’s Palmer.
The 21-year-old is one of Man City’s best young players but he is yet to fully establish himself as a regular under Pep Guardiola.
The England U21 international has scored two goals in three games this season but it has been indicated during this summer that Man City are open to letting him leave if the right opportunity arises.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was reported that Chelsea have had a £35m bid rejected for Palmer but talks have since intensified between them and Man City.
Fabrizio Romano was the first to reveal that an “agreement” has been reached between Chelsea and Man City and the transfer guru has given this deal the “here we go” treatment.
He tweeted: “Cole Palmer to Chelsea, here we go! Agreement in principle reached with Manchester City on £40m deal plus £5m add-ons
“Exclusive news revealed earlier today then quick resolution between clubs and green light from Palmer. Medical tests are to be booked soon.”
READ MORE: Man Utd big-money sub among Chelsea options; Arsenal start selling fringe men
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has since added that “Chelsea and City have reached an agreement for Palmer”.
He added: “The west London club will pay a fee in the region of £40-£45million for the England Under-21 international.
“The 21-year-old is now expected to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours.”
Palmer’s imminent departure comes as a bit of a surprise as Guardiola recently backed the Englishman to shine for City in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.
“It’s not necessary to ask how good he is,” Guardiola said of Palmer. “You don’t need two goals in two finals to define how good he is.
“Cole in the previous season arrived in an extraordinary moment, he defined the game in the FA Cup and then had injuries. He couldn’t be there.
“Playing at City is not easy with Riyad (Mahrez, now departed), Bernardo (Silva) and a lot of players.
“Last season our players in midfield were KDB, who will be four or five months out, (Ilkay Gundogan) who isn’t here, we have to adjust a few things. We’re not at our best, or our top, it’s normal and we adjust a few things but the spirit is there.”
READ MORE: Ten worst big-money transfers ever include Liverpool fleecing two rivals off and worst swap
