"It was close" - Cole Palmer rejected Manchester United before joining Chelsea, claims Red Devils coach

Manchester United tried to sign Cole Palmer from Manchester City before he joined Chelsea in 2023, claims academy coach Colin Little. He said the young Englishman was unsure, but the Cityzens got him to stay at the Etihad.

Speaking on The Athletic's 'Talk of the Devils' podcast., Little claimed that he knew that Palmer supported Manchester United, who tried to bring him to Old Trafford. He recalled that the Chelsea star was just 16 years old at that time and was allowed to join other clubs. Colin Little said (via Metro):

"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."

He added:

"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. I think City needed to show him a bit more love and that kind of stuff. We never quite got it over the line but it would have been nice if we did, wouldn’t it?"

Cole Palmer ended up joining Chelsea in 2023 and was in fine form for the Blues. However, 2025 has not been a good year for the Englishman as he has scored just two goals in 12 matches and hasn't recorded a goal or assist in his last 10 matches.

When Manchester United legend heaped praise on Cole Palmer before Chelsea move

Rio Ferdinand spoke about Cole Palmer on his podcast 'Vibe With Five' just days before the latter joined Chelsea in 2023 and said the Manchester City academy star was a 'mad talent.' He added that the Englishman was full of confidence and said (via Manchester Evening News):

"One guy I want to talk about is Cole Palmer. Interesting to see how it plays out this window. I think he just wants to play more regular football, [He is a] mad talent. Do you know what I like about him? He's got the mad confidence."

Cole Palmer has scored 39 goals in 78 matches for Chelsea. He has got 22 assists to his name as well after managing just six goals and two assists in 41 matches for Manchester City.