Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer has been tipped for a sensational move to another Premier League club.
Palmer, 22, has been a revelation at Stamford Bridge, quickly establishing himself as one of the best players in the English top-flight since his £40m move from Manchester City in 2023.
The England international won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and Premier League Young Player of the Year for his breakout season in west London and continued to impress this season before his recent blip.
Palmer has looked increasingly frustrated during Chelsea’s drop-off since mid-December which has seen Enzo Maresca’s side slip from second to fourth in the Premier League.
A number of pundits have even questioned Palmer’s future at Stamford Bridge, especially if Chelsea miss out on the Champions League for another season.
Dwight Yorke insists a lack of top European football could be a ‘problem’ for Palmer and says Premier League champions-elect Liverpool could launch a sensation move for the Chelsea star.
Mohamed Salah, who is enjoying his best-ever season at Anfield, could leave in the summer and ex-Manchester United striker Yorke believes Liverpool could look to bring in Palmer as his replacement.
Asked if he expects Palmer to push for a summer move himself if Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League, Yorke told CasinoBeats: ‘He doesn’t strike me as that kind individual.
‘I don’t think he would demand to leave Chelsea if he’s playing a season out of the Champions League.
‘He’s still very young, and he’s gone there and turned his career around and became the top man there. Why would you walk away from being in a club and being the top man at the same time?
‘Where is he going to go and become a top player and the top man? Liverpool?
‘Okay, maybe Man United, he said he’s a Man United fan, but he won’t go there because he’s a City man. Outside of that is Arsenal, he won’t go there because Bukayo Saka is there.
‘Liverpool might be an option if Mo Salah were to leave, so that might be something that they might look to do. So, watch this space with that if Mo Salah leaves.
‘There’s no reason why it would not happen if Mo Salah is to leave. Otherwise, why would he want to leave Chelsea?
‘He’s the top man at the club. He plays week in, week out. Yes, the Champions League is important. If we keep missing out on Champions League, only then does it become a problem for Cole Palmer.
‘Next year, if Chelsea come back, work hard, and make sure they can qualify for the Champions League and compete for the Premier League, then everything is happy for Palmer.
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‘I genuinely believe that the only club that could tempt him would be Liverpool, and even then, they would have to let Salah go first.’
Following Chelsea’s defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, ex-England and Arsenal star Paul Merson suggested Palmer could look to leave if the Blues’ poor form continued.
‘With all these big squads they’ve got, and they’ve put people on seven [or] eight-year contracts, I don’t know how this is all going to pan out,’ Merson said on Sky Sports.
‘If they finished outside the Champions League this year Palmer will want to being playing Champions League football.
‘He’s getting to the stage where, you know, the lad’s top drawer, so he’ll want to be playing Champions League, watching Champions League. Watch this space if they don’t get into the top five.’
Chelsea got back to winning ways on Tuesday night, thumping bottom-placed Southampton 4-0 to climb back into the Champions League spots ahead of more midweek fixtures this week.
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