Chelsea are set to bolster their attacking options after reaching an agreement in principle to sign Manchester City’s Cole Palmer.
City rejected Chelsea’s opening offer of £35m for the winger but subsequent negotiations between the clubs have gone well and the deal is expected to be concluded before the transfer window shuts on Friday for a fee expected to be £40m plus £5m in add-ons.
It will come as a welcome boost for Mauricio Pochettino, who has been trying to add another attacking player to his squad since losing Christopher Nkunku to a long-term knee injury.
Pochettino has given his backing to Chelsea’s move for Palmer and talks over personal terms with the England Under-21s international are not expected to be an issue.
City have been open to offers for Palmer, who has three years left on his deal, and the 21-year-old is ready to leave the Premier League champions.
The versatile forward has been pushing for more opportunities at City and has made an encouraging start to the season, scoring against Arsenal in the Community Shield and Sevilla in the Super Cup. Palmer had hoped to work his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans after the departure of Riyad Mahrez.
