Scholes Backs Palmer Move to United – But Only If Fernandes Leaves

Paul Scholes has given Manchester United the green light to pursue Cole Palmer this summer – with a sizeable caveat attached.

Palmer's journey through English football has taken him from Manchester City's academy through to Chelsea, where he arrived in a £42.5m deal and has blossomed into one of Europe's finest attacking midfielders. The England international grew up supporting United, and speculation about a potential return to Old Trafford has intensified as Chelsea's season has faltered.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes acknowledged Palmer's quality but flagged a fundamental obstacle to any transfer. "The only problem I see with signing him is where does he play? He doesn't play instead of Bruno Fernandes," the former United midfielder explained.

However, Scholes made his position crystal clear on one scenario: "Now, if Bruno Fernandes goes in the summer then, yeah, all day long."

The Portuguese captain has endured a difficult campaign, and Scholes anticipates the speculation surrounding his future will intensify during the summer window. "I think he'll be one of them where, every single summer he's at United, he'll get linked with something, the Saudi thing or something," Scholes said. "I think it will come up again this summer."

Palmer's recent form has given Scholes pause for thought. "He's struggled of late, big time," Scholes noted, pointing to injury troubles and a gruelling schedule that saw him feature in the last three summer tournaments. "He's a maverick-ish," the pundit added.

For his part, Palmer has attempted to dampen the transfer rumours. In a recent interview, the 22-year-old insisted he remains committed to Chelsea's project, despite the club's inconsistent season. "I've got no plans to move from Chelsea," he told The Guardian. "We've still got a lot to play for. We've got the FA Cup semi-final and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need."

Palmer emphasised that senior figures at the club, including defender Reece James – who recently signed a new long-term contract – remain confident in the direction of travel. "We spoke to the owners and they're sure of the players that are gonna do it," Palmer said. "Reece won't sign a six-year contract if he's not spoken to the owners and the directors. Me and Reece spoke a lot about things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be."

Whether Chelsea can retain their prized asset or whether a summer reshuffle at United opens the door remains to be seen.