“We even had a deal agreed” – Premier League club chief reveals transfer agreement with Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City and West Ham United had a ‘deal agreed’ over the transfer of a now-Premier League star at another English top-flight club, a new report has revealed.

That concerned Cole Palmer, who has gone on to excel during his first season with fellow Premier League giants Chelsea, establishing himself as the Stamford Bridge’s leading goalscorer and main man when it comes to goal contributions.

Towards the end of the last summer transfer window, it came as a surprise to many to see the London side invest so heavily in the talents of Cole Palmer, despite his relative lack of minutes and opportunities to impress consistently under Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea agreed an initial transfer fee of £40 million for the 21-year-old, with a further £2.5 million included as potential add-ons in the future, with every penny of that investment now paying dividends for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

However, things could have been very different for Palmer this season, had another Premier League club viewed the Manchester City academy graduate with the same high-regard financially as Chelsea’s transfer bosses.

As per comments and information provided by Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, West Ham United executive Karren Brady revealed on the subject of former Etihad Stadium forward Cole Palmer, “We even had a deal agreed with City until Chelsea swooped.”

The same source previously revealed during the last summer transfer window that when Manchester City were interested in London Stadium star Lucas Paqueta, West Ham officials did not think Cole Palmer was worth more than £10 million.

Since joining Chelsea on the final day of the last summer transfer window, Cole Palmer has gone on to make 39 appearances across all competitions for the club, scoring a remarkable 23 goals and providing a further 13 assists.

Pep Guardiola has not hidden his admiration for Palmer’s talents either, having faced his former player on three occasions this season across the Premier League and in the Emirates FA Cup semi-final last weekend.

Speaking during a recent press conference, Guardiola exclaimed on Palmer, “Exceptional player, we knew when we were here. I didn’t give him the minutes he deserves that he now has at Chelsea. Incredible potential.”

However, Palmer’s eventual exit from Manchester City came as no shock to the Catalan coach, who revealed during the same media address, “He was asking for two seasons to leave. I said stay. He wanted to leave. What can we do. What can I say?”