Brighton & Hove Albion could make a move late in the transfer window to sign Manchester City youngster Cole Palmer.
That’s according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who has reported that the Seagulls are keen on the 21-year-old.
Palmer is one of the most exciting talents to emerge from City’s academy in recent seasons, having followed the path to Pep Guardiola’s first team forged by Phil Foden.
The Wythenshawe-born attacker made a real impression in the 2021/22 campaign, scoring in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
Palmer was expected to kick on and play a greater role for Guardiola’s side last season, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
The youngster suffered a series of injuries throughout the campaign which prevented him from building up momentum or form.
When he was available, he found the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez in good form, limiting his chance of game time.
Palmer – who Guardiola has previously described as ‘brilliant’ – made 25 appearances in all competitions last season, but he was in the starting XI for just seven of those.
Brighton interested in loan
There have been reports that City could offload the England U21 star this summer, either on loan or on a permanent basis.
City don’t want to sell Palmer, a stance that Brighton are hoping will change.
Roberto De Zerbi is a big fan of the youngster, but ideally Brighton would want to sign him on a permanent deal.
However, according to Taylor, the Seagulls could soften their stance and look to recruit Palmer on a temporary basis later in the transfer window.
City are understood to be considering loaning Palmer out should he want more regular minutes, as was the case with James McAtee last summer.
MCN view: Loan could reignite Palmer’s City career
City are currently unsure what the future holds for Palmer – if he rediscovers his form and the club don’t bring in a replacement for Mahrez, then the youngster could find semi-regular minutes on the right wing.
On the other hand, as potential loan destinations go, Brighton would be a pretty good one. Guardiola is a big fan of De Zerbi, and would be confident that Palmer would learn a lot under the Italian’s tutorship.
