sport news Cole Palmer was asking to leave Man City for TWO seasons, reveals Pep ... trends now By Ed Carruthers Published: 15:02 BST, 19 April 2024 | Updated: 15:08 BST, 19 April 2024 Viewcomments Pep Guardiola has revealed former Manchester City star Cole Palmer 'asked him to leave the club for 'two seasons' before he finally made the move to Chelsea in the summer. The 21-year-old is enjoying a sensational debut season at Stamford Bridge, with Palmer rising to the top of the Premier League top-scorers chart, having found the back of the net 20 times this season. On Monday, he would score four times, to score his second hat-trick of the 2023-24 campaign, earning the plaudits from many from within the world of football, including his former manager. But in his press conference ahead of City's FA Cup semi-final agaisnt Chelsea, Guardiola had tried to convince Palmer to to stay despite the midfielder asking on multiple occasions to leave the club. The City boss said: 'He was asking for two seasons to leave Man City. I said: "Stay." He wanted to leave. What can we do?!' During his final season at Manchester City, Palmer made 14 appearances in the Premier Legue, starting for City oin just two of those matches while making four appearances in the Champions League for City. But since arriving at Stamford Bridge in a £42.5million transfer, Palmer has become a focal point in the Blues' midfield, featuring in all but one league match so far this season - which was due to a yellow card suspension. 'He’s an exceptional player with super potential,' Guardiola added. 'I didn't give him the minutes he deserves that he now has at Chelsea.' More to follow... Share or comment on this article: Cole Palmer was asking to leave Man City for TWO seasons, reveals Pep Guardiola... as he admits he 'didn't give the Chelsea star the minutes he deserved' All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility