Cole Palmer will hold talks with Chelsea at the end of the season (Image: Getty)
boss will sit down with to hold talks over his future if the club do not qualify for the this season.
The Blues’ hopes of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition are under serious threat following a dismal run of two wins in 10 Premier League games. They are now seventh in the Premier League and, as well as needing to bridge a four-point gap to third-placed Nottingham Forest, they also have Aston Villa and Brighton hot on their heels.
could seek to leave if they fail to secure a top-four finish – or top five depending on which nation earns an extra place in the UEFA coefficient race.
And Maresca refused to dampen talk of his star man heading for the exit, admitting the club will assess Palmer’s happiness with life at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
“First of all we need to see how we finish. Then, in case we don’t finish in the top four, we’ll see if Cole is happy or not happy,” the Italian said on Monday.
“But I don’t think that Cole is worried in this moment about next year, that he wants to play in the Champions League.
“Cole is just focused on how he can help the team, how we can help him and how all together – as I said already many, many times this season – we can bring this club where this club has to be.”
It was suggested he had a £60million release clause written into his contract – which runs until 2033 – depending on Champions League qualification. However, this was swiftly shut down by the club.
Enzo Maresca will be under pressure to secure Champions League qualification (Image: Getty)
The 22-year-old has been a revelation for since his £42million transfer from on deadline day in August 2023.
Palmer scored 22 league goals in his debut season in the capital, and he is on course to match that total with 14 goals and six assists this term. His form has been a cause of concern of late, however, as he has failed to register a goal or assist in his last six appearances in all competitions.
Maresca insisted he is not concerned about Palmer’s form, and instead demanded more from the other attacking players in his squad instead of relying on his heroics in front of goal.
Cole Palmer has scored 14 goals in the Premier League this season (Image: Getty)
When asked if he was worried about his goal drought, the 45-year-old said: “No. I’m always concerned about general performance but I’m not concerned about Cole.
“Cole is a human being. The problem with Cole is probably we rely on Cole for everything and I’ve said since the start, we need to rely on the team. We are not worried about Cole at all.”