Chelsea agree £45m fee for Man City's Cole Palmer sources ESPN

Chelsea have agreed a fee worth £45 million with Manchester City for England under-21 international Cole Palmer, sources told ESPN.

An agreement was reached quickly between the two Premier League clubs on Wednesday after Chelsea made a formal approach for the 21-year-old.

Palmer is expected to undergo a medical with the London club on Thursday in anticipation of completing a deal ahead of Friday's transfer deadline.

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Palmer is under contract at City until 2026 and made an encouraging start to the season after scoring in the team's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and their UEFA Super Cup victory against Sevilla.

It was unclear whether City would sanction a departure, but Chelsea quickly reached a deal after Mauricio Pochettino supported an approach to add one more attacking player to their squad.

Chelsea have also considered a number of alternatives, including Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe and Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson, although Tottenham are progressing in their pursuit of the latter.

Palmer seeks regular playing time, but his path to the Man City first team has been complicated by the £55.5 million arrival ($70.47m) of winger Jérémy Doku from Stade Rennais.