COLE PALMER was developed on the sky blue side of Manchester, but his heart was always red.
The Chelsea star, 23, was raised in United hotbed Wythenshawe and grew up idolising Wayne Rooney.
The Red Devils couldn’t quite recruit him to Carrington, however, and Palmer went on to spend 15 years at noisy neighbours City.
Palmer quit Pep Guardiola‘s side for Chelsea in a £42.5million switch in 2023.
Now unsettled in London, SunSport understands that the England star would be open to a return to Manchester.
But the red side, not the sky blue.
Scandi-lous
Man Utd make pre-season decision not seen in 30 years thanks to World Cup
TRAFFORD-ABLE
Man Utd ticket and hotel deals for Premier League games from just £145pp
Palmer would not entertain a move back to the Etihad, where he largely found himself glued to the bench under Guardiola.
Instead he would prefer to walk in the footsteps of his boyhood heroes at Old Trafford.
The attacking midfielder would pretend to be Rooney in his back garden as a kid.
He revealed in 2023: “What a player. When I was growing up I used to watch all the football and the one that sticks in my mind is Rooney.
“Ever since I was a little kid he has been my footballing hero.”
And speaking to the Mail that year, Cole’s grandfather Sterry incredibly revealed that the future star would wear United gear to City training.
Sterry said: “When he first joined City, he used to wear a United shirt or some sort of United garment under his sky-blue shirt.
“He was a United fan but City offered the better set-up, they had the better training facilities and were able to better nurture his talent.
“The fact that he did support United never held him back, though, when City played against them at junior level because he used to absolutely smash them.”
Palmer is under contract with Chelsea until 2033.
Persistent groin injuries have limited his progress this season, with the Blues’ No10 limited to just 11 starts.
The unsettled Mancunian, who frequently returns to Wythenshawe to visit family and pals, nearly signed for United when he was 16.
‘HE WAS ALWAYS A MAN UTD FAN’
Man Utd academy coach Colin Little last year revealed just how close Palmer was to joining the Red Devils as a teen.
He told The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast: “I know Cole Palmer’s family quite well, I know his dad and his uncle, and we were close to getting Cole Palmer when he was about 16, believe it or not. He was umming and ahing and I knew he was a big United fan.
“He was at that age where you’re allowed to leave, 16 is it? And they were umming and ahing, Manchester City, about it.
“I think in the end Manchester City made him a good enough offer. But really, he was always a Manchester United fan and it was close anyway, I remember speaking.”
United splashed around £200million on new attackers last summer; recruiting Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
And it would surely take a huge sum to prise Palmer away from Stamford Bridge, where he remains contracted for another seven-and-a-half years.
The Red Devils could have a superstar vacancy this summer, however, with Bruno Fernandes‘ future uncertain.
United’s skipper is under contract at Old Trafford until next year, with the club also possessing the option for another 12 months.
But Fernandes has an agreement with United that he can leave for an overseas club for £57m this summer.
The Red Devils skipper could look to depart following this summer’s World Cup.
And if he does, Palmer would surely be a dream replacement.
United’s head of football Jason Wilcox was in charge of City’s academy during Palmer’s rise.
In 2022, Wilcox even suggested that one of City’s youngsters could win the Ballon d’Or one day.
And now running United, the Red Devils chief would dream of Palmer making his prediction come true while wearing red.
Read the full article here
