Chelsea very nearly let , who is easily the most electrifying player they've had since , slip through their fingers.

The 22-year-old has been an absolute sensation since joining the Blues from for £40million in 2023. In just 14 short months, he's blasted 32 goals in 57 games, and blossomed into one of the finest players in the country, if not in Europe.

And to think, he very nearly stayed at the Etihad Stadium. Speaking to , Palmer admitted that he had no plans to quit City, the club who'd nurtured him since he was seven-years-old, and transformed him from a promising schoolboy into a prodigy, and that he had to be convinced to move to Stamford Bridge. "I got persuaded," he said.

moved quickly to seal a deal for Palmer on transfer deadline day, but as the hours ticked by, even Palmer wasn't sure whether the move would be finalised. "I remember training on a Wednesday at City in the afternoon, and the news was 'they [Chelsea] are trying to agree a fee'," he said.

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"Every time the ball went out I’d ask the kit man or the doctor if they’ve agreed the fee yet." But negotiations dragged on, to the point where collapse was a genuine possibility. Ultimately however, a deal was agreed and Palmer was whisked down south for a medical.

"I didn’t really get a chance to see many people and say I’m going. I just had to get my stuff," he recalled, before explaining how he from the City group in characteristically 'cold' fashion: "I messaged the group chat, said 'Thanks and everything. I’m gone.' That was it."

City boss later claimed that Palmer had , but the England ace insists that isn't the case. "No – do you know what, I just wanted to go on loan," Palmer said, before explaining how Guardiola's reluctance to use him even after the departure of ultimately turned his head.

"I just knew I wasn’t going to play as much as I wanted to," he explained. "Even when I was going to England [camps] with younger age groups, you had players there who were playing in the league every week. And you’re looking around thinking, I can play in the league... when you’re not playing, it’s annoying."

Palmer's transfer raised a few eyebrows initially, particularly with Chelsea spending a hefty sum on a player who had just 19 Premier League appearances under his belt. But it didn't take him long to show Guardiola just how foolish he was to have reservations about him. A week after scoring a crucial goal in a 4-1 win over in November, he netted a last-minute penalty against City to bookend an enthralling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.

He went on to smash 22 goals in the Premier League that season, and 25 (27 if you include the two he scored for City) in all competitions - the highest tally a Chelsea player has managed since scored 37 in 2009/10 - and was deservedly rewarded for his efforts by being named PFA Young Player of the Year in May, capping off one of the finest breakout seasons in recent memory.

He's started the 2024/25 season at a similarly-impressive pace, having scored seven goals in 10 matches so far. "I knew I could do it," Palmer said of his explosion onto the scene. "But for it to happen so fast… I surprised myself, yeah."

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