Cole Palmer was days away from joining Premier League relegation strugglers before quitting Man City for Chelsea

COLE PALMER was just days away from joining Burnley before quitting Manchester City for Chelsea.

The playmaker, 21 has been in sensational form since joining the Blues for £40million last summer.

He tops the Premier League goal charts with 20 strikes while also helping himself to nine assists.

And Palmer gets the chance to score against Man City once more when Chelsea face his old side in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

Many eyebrows were raised when Pep Guardiola sanctioned a move to a rival club.

He has since claimed Palmer begged to leave for the last two years.

But the England Euro hopeful himself insists he was happy to just depart on loan.

And the claims Palmer almost got his wish with a temporary switch to Burnley last summer.

It’s reckoned Vincent Kompany was keen on doing business with his former club after winning promotion from the Championship.

However, Palmer remained mindful of his long-term City future after seeing Guardiola drop huge sums on Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes.

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And once Chelsea emerged late on with a bid for a permanent move, plus the offer of regular first-team minutes, it was too good for Palmer to turn down.

The rest is history as he looks to lead Chelsea to a European finish, as well as a trophy in his debut season.

Palmer is already a shoe-in for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

But he could now seriously challenge ex-teammate Phil Foden for the main gong, as well as Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

And some even reckon Palmer has played his way into England’s starting XI at the Euros, let alone Gareth Southgate’s 23-man squad.