Former Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen has tipped Cole Palmer to join the club from Chelsea one day.
Palmer has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League since joining the Blues from Manchester City for £42.5m in 2023.
The England international was crowned Premier League Young Player of the Season in 2024 and helped Chelsea win the 2025 Conference League.
Palmer has produced 43 goals and 29 assists across 97 games for Chelsea and the 23-year-old is thought to be very happy in west London.
Palmer is under contract until 2033 but Meulensteen says ‘sometimes things don’t work out’ and argues the player may seek an exit in the future.
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Should Palmer look to depart Stamford Bridge, Meulensteen feels he would want to join the Red Devils, given he’s a supporter of the club.
‘Palmer would take Man Utd to a higher level’
Quizzed about the Mancunian, Meulensteen told Grosvenor Sport: ‘It’s almost a public secret that Cole Palmer is a Manchester United fan.
‘What surprised me is how he slipped through the fingers of United with him being at Manchester City and then getting his chance at Chelsea.
‘He is a player that can make a difference, could he play for United in the future? Yeah, I can’t see why not.
‘Obviously he’s got a long-term contract with Chelsea, but sometimes things don’t work out and players and clubs fall out, then United would be interested and it could be a really good destination for him.
‘He is a United fan after all and he is a player that would bring United back to a higher level.’
Meulensteen warns Man Utd over Watkins move
Meanwhile, United have reportedly made an approach to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins in the current summer transfer window.
Asked for his thoughts on a possible move, Meulensteen said: ‘It’s a double-edged sword, Ollie Watkins is a hard-working striker and he has pace, he scored 16 goals last season, ideally the big hitters like Manchester United want strikers in double figures.
‘Could he fit in at United? It all depends on Ruben Amorim’s system and how he utilises strikers.
‘One of the services that Ollie can give you is to run in behind, because he’s got that pace, he can run onto things and also go out wide as well as getting into the box.
‘I read somewhere that he might cost in the region of £100million, that’s a very hefty fee. You always want to make sure that you can get a market return. He is 29 so that value will only go down.
‘I would imagine also that the transfer fee for another striker would be much less than Watkins – but Watkins has got a pedigree of performing in the Premier League.’
