Cole Palmer’s £45 million deal from Manchester City is scheduled to be completed on Thursday when he has a medical at Chelsea.
In a shocking late deal, Chelsea have agreed to pay an initial £40 million for the 21-year-old, bringing their total transfer expenditure under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake close to £1 billion.
Palmer has agreed to a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge and is scheduled to be announced on Thursday. Palmer was a key member of the England team that won the European Under-21 title this summer.
After a deal for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise fell through, Chelsea made a move for Palmer. Instead, they swooped for Palmer and negotiated a deal with City after considering offers for Barcelona’s Ansu Fati and Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe.
Palmer’s £35 million bid from Chelsea was turned down on Wednesday, but the club promptly countered with a better offer, which was accepted just in time for Wednesday night’s 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over AFC Wimbledon.
Joe Shields, a Blues talent scout, has been essential to the team’s pursuit of the forward. Shields is acquainted with Palmer from his stint as the Etihad Stadium’s director of academy recruitment and talent management.
Palmer was a marginal player for City under Pep Guardiola, and after the club agreed to a £53 million deal with Wolves for Matheus Nunes, they made the decision to trade him.
Palmer played 25 times for City last season across all competitions, but he only made three Premier League starts. Chelsea will spend more than £400 million during this transfer window after acquiring Palmer.
The Blues have also signed Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Djordje Petrovic, Lesley Ugochukwu and Moises Caicedo.
Meanwhile, Manchester United remain in talks over a season-long loan move for Marc Cucurella.
United are expected to pay between £2m and £5m for the left-back, who will move to Old Trafford as cover for injured duo Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is in advanced talks about a permanent move to Nottingham Forest, having seen a deal with Fulham collapse earlier this month.
Conor Gallagher is still being watched by Tottenham in case midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg moves prior to Friday’s transfer deadline.
Trevoh Chalobah and Bayern Munich are still in negotiations over a transfer, but his £50 million asking price might derail a deal.
In spite of interest from West Ham and Burnley, Ian Maatsen is still refusing to sign a new deal. It’s likely that Friday night will see a decision about his future.
Deivid Washington, a £17 million summer acquisition from Santos, will likely go on loan from Chelsea. He is being prepared to transfer to France’s Strasbourg, the new club of Boehly. Romelu Lukaku has agreed to a significant pay reduction and has joined Roma on loan.
The young Chelsea combo of Bashir Humphreys and Mason Burstow impressed during preseason, and manager Mauricio Pochettino is open to keeping them in the senior team. However, a last-minute decision to extend their development on loan in the Championship may be made.
Chelsea might still re-enter the transfer market in January to recruit a striker despite their significant outlay. Ivan Toney of Brentford, who is valued at £80 million but out until January, is thought to be a prospective target.
