Chelsea ‘tried to sign’ Man City starlet in January – but were turned away ‘as rivals looked to avoid repeat of Cole Palmer mistake’

Chelsea reportedly tried to sign a highly touted Manchester City starlet in January, only for their advances to be soundly rejected.

The Blues made just the one acquisition during the winter window as Mathis Amougou arrived from St Etienne for a fee of £12.5million, providing further cover in midfield.

However, fans were left disappointed at the lack of attacking reinforcements – something that has further attracted criticism following injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, as well as the loan departure of Joao Felix. 

That said, attempts were made by the Chelsea hierarchy to bolster their attacking options, with new reports claiming the club made efforts to bring in the next ‘Cole Palmer’.

Chelsea enquired about the availability of City prospect Nico O’Reilly, according to The Athletic – but were quickly knocked back by the reigning Premier League champions.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder is seen as a huge talent by Man City’s higher-ups and while he’s only managed a handful of senior appearances under Pep Guardiola this term, he is absolutely regarded as one for the future.

City have already felt the burn of letting one of their top prodigies leave for Stamford Bridge, with Palmer establishing himself at the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts since moving to Chelsea in 2023.

As such, the Citizens are keen not to make the same mistake again and were unequivocal in their response to Chelsea’s advances – something The Athletic’s David Ornstein has hailed as City’s best business of the window.

‘I was going to mention City’s best signing of the window, well not a signing but a retention, Nico O’Reilly who has got top potential,’ he told the outlet.

‘Chelsea tried to sign him and do a Cole Palmer mark two, but City managed to keep hold of him, and you’ll remember this when he comes good.’

City were one of the more active Premier League clubs during the winter transfer window, splashed out £170million to land Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez before last Monday’s deadline.

However, Guardiola has since gone on to reiterate City’s commitment to utilising their youthful stars as the club prepare for a jam-packed second half of the season.

‘We had a lot of problems with injuries so we’re not able to loan or sell,’ he said.

‘That’s why we need Nico (O’Reilly), all the players, (James) McAtee, (Divin) Mubama, all of them. There are a lot of games and we need them.’