Cole Palmer transfer admission as ‘toxic’ Chelsea claim made amid Man Utd rumours

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Cole Palmer transfer admission as 'toxic' Chelsea claim made amid Man Utd rumours

Cole Palmer has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in recent months with the Chelsea attacker reportedly of interest to Manchester United

CommentsChelseaBobby Vincent Senior Chelsea reporter07:00, 30 Apr 2026

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Former England midfielder Gareth Barry believes the best course of action for Cole Palmer is to leave Chelsea this summer and get out of the "toxic" environment at Stamford Bridge.

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The 23-year-old has been linked with a return to Manchester, but this time to the red half, in recent months. Palmer was said to be a United supporter when growing up and reports claim he is unsettled down south, though he has since denied that (see below).

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Chelsea have no plans to sell Palmer, who has finished as the club's top goal scorer in both of his full seasons at Stamford Bridge. The Blues view the England international, who is still contracted to the club until 2033, as untouchable.

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Even if Chelsea miss out on Champions League football this season, the club, sources say, are confident they won't be forced into selling Palmer.

Barry, formerly of Man City, Aston Villa and Everton, among others, thinks Palmer's best bet would be to leave Chelsea this summer given the uncertainty surrounding the club at the moment. The Blues are currently in the process of identifying a permanent successor to Liam Rosenior, who was sacked as head coach less than four months into his reign last Wednesday.

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Speaking to Midnite, Barry said: "Any player wants to be playing in a settled dressing room at a settled club. If you're in a dressing room that is perhaps slightly toxic, it is hard to go into training and perform every day, it's not nice.

"I've had small periods of that in my career. The manager is desperate, they can see the player is affecting the dressing room, they want to get them out but in football, you can't do that overnight. Liam Rosenior wouldn't have had a chance to do something about it.

"Any player, Cole Palmer and others, if they aren't seeing a long-term settled future at Chelsea, it's natural for them and their agents to start looking and thinking, 'where can we go and achieve things' in what ultimately is a quick career as a football player."

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Palmer himself said earlier this month he has "no plans" to move away from Chelsea anytime soon, despite constant speculation around a return to the north-west. Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, the Blues attacker said: "Everyone just talks. When I see it, I just laugh.

"Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don't miss it. Maybe I'll miss it if I don't go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there's nothing there for me anyway.

"I've got no plans to move from Chelsea. We've still got a lot to play for. We've got the FA Cup semi-final [they have since beat Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot, it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need.

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"We spoke to the owners and they're sure of the players that are going to do it. Reece [James] won't sign a six-year contract if he has not spoken to the owners and the directors.

"Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn't sign a new contract if he didn't know what was going on."

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