Story by[BBC]Freddie Pye - Fan writerTue, January 13, 2026 at 8:19 AM UTC·2 min read[]Manchester City's willingness to do business with Chelsea for Cole Palmer two and a half years ago will forever go down as perhaps one that got away for officials at Etihad Stadium. At the time, a transfer fee in the region of £40m for a player on the fringes of first-team action and having only made a handful of appearances under Pep Guardiola seemed like remarkable business. Fast-forward to the present day, and Palmer is arguably the poster boy of Stamford Bridge and worth well in excess of double what Chelsea paid. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe running joke in various quarters has been how Chelsea often turn to City for rising talent in light of Palmer's success, having already brought in the likes of Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, Tosin Adarabioyo and Jamie Gittens - who all have strong connections to the Etihad's academy production line. But will we ever see anything of the sort in the opposite direction? Before the 2024-25 season, City secured the services of Ryan McAidoo from Chelsea's academy - a player with explosive speed and the versatility to operate across the front line. Having trained with the first team frequently this season, McAidoo's real breakthrough moment came on Saturday.