Brighton close to securing loan move for Manchester City youngster Cole Palmer

Brighton and Hove Albion are leading the race to sign Manchester City youngster Cole Palmer on loan.

Cole Palmer, 21, made 25 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners last season, though only seven of those were starts. In the Premier League, the youngster only started two games as he found himself behind the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez in the pecking order.

Despite his lack of game time, Pep Guardiola has no intention of selling the 21-year-old this summer, instead, he is open to loaning him out. This has reportedly alerted Brighton, who want to sign Palmer on a season-long loan but face competition from Leicester City.

Palmer recently demonstrated his talent at the Under-21 European Championships, helping England win the tournament. The creative midfielder started the final against Spain which the Young Lions won 1-0 earlier this month. Overall, he enjoyed a productive campaign, scoring once and registering three assists in the process.

Cole Palmer would be an exciting addition to Brighton

Brighton will play in the Europa League in 2023/24 after enjoying an incredible season in the Premier League last term, finishing sixth in the table as a result. Roberto de Zerbi has not wasted much time in strengthening his squad this summer, bringing in the likes of Joao Pedro, Mahmoud Dahoud, James Milner, Adrian Mazilu and Bart Verbruggen at the Amex Stadium so far.

The Seagulls boss is in no mood to stop and wants to secure the loan signing of Cole Palmer from Man City. Palmer, who can play through the middle as a No.10 or out wide, has caught the eye recently with his performances for England in the Under-21 European Championships. Due to intense competition for places in Guardiola’s squad at City, it is understandable why he feels the need to leave the Etihad Stadium temporarily and join a club where he’ll get regular opportunities to play.

It is encouraging to see Brighton wanting to secure Palmer’s signature, further suggesting that they view him as one of their main transfer targets ahead of the new season. The south coast club are showing real ambition in the transfer market after securing European football, and the Man City youngster could be the next brilliant addition to De Zerbi’s ranks.

Palmer made 25 appearances for City last season, which is no mean feat, at a time when Guardiola has so many world-class attacking players at his disposal. The England youth international can play in different positions across the midfield and attack, which is certain to appeal to De Zerbi, as he looks to bring in flexible players who can interchange with others in attack, linking with Evan Ferguson and Danny Welbeck in the process.

At Brighton, Palmer is likely to get ample opportunities to showcase his talent and develop his game under De Zerbi. Given how highly Guardiola rates De Zerbi as a manager, City are likely to greenlight the 21-year-old’s potential move to Brighton.