Cole Palmer on Manchester United transfer rumours: 'I've got no plans to move from Chelsea'

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It has also been reported that the 23-year-old is homesick, having grown up in Manchester and wants to return to the north west, having joined Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. But speaking to The Guardian, Palmer said: “I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea. 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. “We’ve (Chelsea) still got a lot to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need. We spoke to the owners and they’re sure of the players who are gonna do it. Palmer also revealed that he had spoken to club captain and fellow England international Reece James, who signed a new six-year contract with the club in March as exclusively revealed by The Athletic. Palmer said that he and the versatile defender had spoken about “the things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be” as well as adding that James “wouldn’t sign a new (six-year) contract if he didn’t know what was going on.” Palmer has struggled to find his best form this season, having suffered a groin injury back in September. In his debut season at Stamford Bridge, the 2023-24 campaign, he scored 27 goals and provided 15 assists on the way to being named the 2024 PFA Young Player of the Year, England Men’s Player of the Year, and Chelsea Player of the Year awards. However, the versatile forward has scored just ten goals and provided three assists this season, and hasn’t scored for England since his goal in the Euro 2024 final almost two years ago. Palmer admitted that he has found the nature of the injury hard to come back from, saying: “I didn’t know how long I was going to be out for. I went to see a specialist and he said 10 to 12 weeks. “Then I was playing when I was injured because I was out for 12 weeks, and it was still not better. I didn’t know how to manage it. That’s probably part of it.” Chelsea, sixth in the Premier League, face United on Saturday, four points off fifth-place Liverpool and a Champions League qualification spot. Chelsea regard Palmer as one of their ‘untouchables’, and he is certainly talking like one. Palmer signed a contract extension two years ago (August 2024) to commit his future to Stamford Bridge until 2033 and the club have no desire to sell the attacking midfielder. But this has not stopped people from talking about his future and whether he is happy at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s season has been a bit of a disappointment up till now and Palmer’s downbeat demeanour on the pitch has come under a lot of scrutiny.  Obviously, no player is content when they lose matches but his injury issues have understandably also played a major part in his mood. What Chelsea fans should be encouraged to read is Palmer dismissing the desire to move away, especially to Manchester United, so strongly. The England international has clearly liked what he has heard about the direction the club is heading in having spoken to club captain James. Midfielder Moises Caicedo also committed his long-term future to Chelsea today by extending his deal until 2033, which sends a positive message at an important time too. With Champions League qualification via a top-five finish in the Premier League, plus a possible first FA Cup win for eight years, at stake in the final six weeks of the season, it is important the players believe they are at a club that can succeed. Palmer’s comments, coming so soon after James and Caicedo agreeing fresh terms, will perhaps reassure doubting fans that things are not quite as bad as they seem. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Simon Johnson has spent the majority of his career as a sports reporter since 2000 covering Chelsea, firstly for Hayters, then the London Evening Standard and finally The Athletic for the past six years. This included going to every game home and away as the west London club secured the Champions League in 2012. He also reported on the England national team between 2008-19 and been a regular contributor to talkSPORT radio station for over a decade. Follow Simon on Twitter @SJohnsonSport