Cole Palmer was linked with a move to Manchester United in the January window with the midfielder one of the standout players in the Premier League over the last couple of campaigns.

Unrest at Chelsea may have handed Manchester United the perfect opportunity to make their move for Cole Palmer in the summer transfer window. United were linked with the Chelsea star in January.

Reports suggested that he was suffering from homesickness in London and was ready to move back up to Manchester. While he came up through the City ranks, he is a boyhood United fan. Palmer himself brushed off the reports last month.

But there have since been more claims that he is growing frustrated with life at Chelsea. If true, it seems he’s not the only member of the squad to be so. Both defender Marc Cucurella and midfielder Enzo Fernandez have spoken about their frustrations while on international duty.

**Get MEN Premium now for just £1 **HERE** – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking **HERE**. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking **HERE** and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters **HERE.

Most of the focus is on the exit of former manager Enzo Maresca. The Italian left the club on New Year’s Day, and was replaced by Liam Rosenior shortly after.

Speaking to The Athletic, Cucurella said: “We knew what Maresca wanted from us. Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you’d die for him.

“The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.

“To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season…

“The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell. We had a caretaker [Calum McFarlane] first, then a new manager, with new ideas and no time to work on them. It is what it is.”

Those comments came just days after similar ones from Fernandez. “I don’t understand it,” he told the Argentinian media.

“Sometimes as a player, there’s things we don’t understand and the way they try to manage things. I don’t have an answer for you because I don’t know.

“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt a lot because we had a lot of identity, he gave us order but it’s the way that football is, sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad.

“But we always had a clear identity when it came to training, playing and obviously his departure hurt us especially in the middle of the season – it cuts everything short.”

The fact that two players are happy to openly discuss their confusion could reflect the general mood of the dressing room at Stamford Bridge. That could lead to players being more willing to move or even pushing to leave the club this summer.

Palmer could potentially be in that group, seeing as he previously worked under the Italian manager while coming through the academy ranks at City. Maresca was manager of the development squad in the 2020/21 season, when Palmer scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 16 Premier League 2 appearances.

United could also hand a major boost to their chances by securing qualification for the Champions League. United currently sit in pole position in third place, while Chelsea are in sixth, one point off fifth and six adrift of fourth.

If United are playing in the competition next season and Chelsea miss out, then it somewhat puts the club ahead of their rivals in the pecking order when it comes to transfers in the summer window.

It’s something that United will hope to make the most of, should it happen. Given potential unrest at Stamford Bridge and previous reports surrounding Palmer’s future, he may just jump at the chance to return to his home city with his boyhood club.