Bruno Fernandes out, Cole Palmer in? Pundit assesses ‘reality’ of double Man Utd deal amid ‘dream’ claims

Manchester United’s prospects of signing Cole Palmer in a blockbuster deal this summer have been given a shot in the arm after a pundit revealed exactly why a move to Old Trafford IS in the Chelsea star’s thinking, though the chances of Bruno Fernandes leaving have been given a reality check over fans’ reaction to his potential sale.

The Red Devils are upwardly mobile and dreaming of bringing Champions League football back to Old Trafford after a three-year absence and having not been involved in the competition since they crashed out of the group stages after an underwhelming campaign in the 2023/24 season.

And after a five-match unbeaten run that has encompassed four wins under the caretaker charge of Michael Carrick, Manchester United know a win at Everton on Monday evening can open up a three-point buffer inside the top four and from nearest challengers Chelsea and Liverpool.

With summer plans already gathering pace aimed at strengthening a number of areas across the side, and in particular central midfield, one name that has been persistently linked with a return to the north-west in recent weeks is Palmer, amid growing claims he is unsettled at Chelsea and will push for a move back to his roots this summer.

Now Emile Heskey has explained why he thinks Palmer will look to force through that move this summer, irrespective of the strong denials put forward by new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior.

Heskey told OLBG: “I could see someone like [Palmer] in a Barcelona shirt. The way that he plays, the fans would love him.

“But then again, when you’re a kid and you’re growing up, there are things that you dream of doing as a footballer.

“You dream of playing at a World Cup. You dream of putting on that England shirt. You dream of lifting the FA Cup. Things like that. And you dream of playing for your boyhood club.

“So Cole will have dreams too, possibly to play for United, so I wouldn’t put it past him if he did turn up there and they did take him on.”

Such a move would put serious doubts over Fernandes’ future at Old Trafford, but regardless of what happens, Heskey believes INEOS would risk serious supporter wrath were they to cash in on the Portuguese playmaker…

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Sale of Bruno Fernandes would infuriate Man Utd fans

Ahead of Monday night’s game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Fernandes has an incredible 104 goals and 99 assists for United, needing just one more in the second column to hit a ton in both sections – an incredibly rare achievement.

And after stressing the importance of the 31-year-old to their cause, Heskey feels United fans would be up in arms if they were to cash in on the playmaker.

“The reality is that with his ability, his goals, his assists, his general play, he’d have a lot of takers, but could United afford to lose someone like that now when they are actually in the ascendance again?

“I can’t see them letting him go, to be honest. I don’t know if he’d really want to go.

Could they sell him and cash in to rebuild their team like Liverpool did with Philippe Coutinho? That’s always a possibility, but for United, I think the fans would really kick off if he were to be sold, if I’m honest with you, and then who are you going to bring in to really replace him?

“If we look at his goals and all that, he’s probably one of the reasons that there haven’t been any further down the table when they were in disarray.”

With regards to Palmer, former Chelsea star Gustavo Poyet has explained why a move to Old Trafford would prove a major mistake for the 23-year-old, arguing that he’s already at the bigger club.

Speaking to football.london, Poyet said: “I wouldn’t, if I were him. I’m not saying this because I played for Chelsea, because this is not the United from Sir Alex Ferguson.

“People that say, ‘it’s still Man Utd’. I’m sorry, no. The last five years, six years? No [it’s not the same].

“So I think Chelsea now is a better club, structure and more consistent than United.

“I’m not British, maybe sometimes for British people or for the players, Man United is still the biggest club, fair enough but I wouldn’t say that.

“Now, then there is a situation with his position at Chelsea, that is a process. He likes to play in a certain position, he left Man City because he was playing wide and playing a little, and now he’s back to the wide position.

“I really hope he doesn’t get upset; he’s performing and he’s happy, because if not, obviously that can’t help.

“So let’s see what happens at the end of the season, especially in the World Cup, because I think he’s a player of, incredible, incredible quality and Chelsea needs him to stay.”

Palmer himself recently declared the speculation as “rubbish”, explaining how and why he blocks out the transfer noise.

“Everyone loves to chat rubbish, don’t they? I don’t pay too much attention to it,” Palmer said, when asked about his celebration after recently scoring a hat-trick at Wolves. “You see things. But I feel like I’ve come from a strong place anyway, so I don’t pay attention to it.

“Life under Liam is amazing; he gives us all confidence.

“Lets us be ourselves, play free. I’m sure when I’m back proper fit, you’ll see the best of me. Him and all the staff give us all confidence on the training pitch, with his strategies, the way we play… I really like it.”

Man Utd latest: Four-man midfielder shopping list; ‘world’s best’ snubs move

Meanwhile, Carrick has warned United they must get it right when signing Casemiro’s successor, while a transfer journalist suggested that INEOS have now drawn up a four-man list of replacement options.

Elsewhere, United are also looking to strengthen in defence this summer and one phone call is all it took to send United packing it has been claimed, with the Red Devils denied the chance to sign ‘the best left-back in the world’.

In other news, a player Man Utd signed not all that long ago looks certain to be moved on at season’s end, with Fabrizio Romano also detailing where he’s expected to end up.

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