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Cole Palmer, who was a childhood Manchester United fan, still has seven-and-a-half years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge
Cole Palmer would reportedly be open to joining Manchester United. Liam Rosenior has already ruled out the Chelsea star's departure, but he remains thinly linked with a move to Old Trafford.
According to The Sun, Palmer would be open to a transfer to the Red Devils. The report claims that the England international, who still has seven-and-a-half years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, is unsettled in London and misses his hometown of Wythenshawe.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph have reported that the higher-ups at Chelsea consider Palmer as 'untouchable' and they have no interest in selling him. Last week, Rosenior insisted that Palmer remain 'very happy' at in west London.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Blues' 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Blues boss said: "I've had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very, very happy to be here.
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"He is very, very happy to be here. He's a huge part of our plans in the long term. He's an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury."
Palmer suffered a groin injury at the start of the season, only to be rushed back from the treatment room and aggravate the problem a week later. The former Manchester City prospect spent the next two months or so on the sidelines before reappearing in December.
Between Enzo Maresca and Rosenior, Palmer's minutes have been carefully managed as he looks to rebuild his fitness. Rosenior continued: "I don't think it's any reflection on his qualities.
"He's an outstanding footballer. But my job and the club's job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. And there was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn't happy here, just because he couldn't perform.
"He was in pain. He couldn't perform to the level he wanted to do for the club. He's a great kid and he's an outstanding player, but we have to make sure that we look after him in the right way. That's why I didn't involve him in the last game."
On whether Palmer is 100% fit, Rosenior said: "That's my job. That's my job now. I want to look after the players, not to be nice to them. I want them to perform at their very peak level.
"So I think, not just in terms of Cole, there's a number of players in our group that we have to look after in a different way and not just force them out not to perform. I've got trust in the group.
"I've rotated with the squad and I'll continue to do that because I want us to be involved at the end of the season in big games and big competitions.
"At the moment we're in January. I want to make sure the players come through this period with wins but in full health and Cole's one of those players."
Palmer missed the Blues' victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday due to a minor thigh problem. Speaking to Sky Sports, Rosenior explained: "Unfortunately for us, Cole’s not quite right for this one.
"I’ve said before in press conferences, we want to make sure that every player is 100 per cent. There’s no use risking players in January for what we want to achieve. He’s got a little niggle in his thigh, he’s not quite 100 per cent, but he’s got a chance for Wednesday, hopefully he’s back for then."
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