Palmer on the radar of two major rivals

FORMER Huddersfield Town loanee Kasey Palmer is at the centre of a tug of war between SkyBet Championship duo Sheffield United and Norwich City, according to national reports.

The Chelsea player spent 18 months on loan with the Terriers, but had this campaign’s season-long loan cut short by Antonio Conte due to a lack of game time at Town.

That was largely down to a persistent hamstring injury blighting the 21-year-old’s chances at a consistent run in the first team, with Palmer making just five appearances in all competitions.

However, the England Under 21 international spent the second half of last season at Derby County, where he scored twice helping the Rams to reach the play-offs before losing to Fulham.

Palmer played an integral role in Town’s promotion to the Premier League in the 2016-17 season and it is this experience combined with his proven quality that has alerted both the Blades and Canaries to his services, according to the Daily Mail.

Reports suggest Chelsea could be interested in another loan move, with the Stamford Bridge outfit viewing the player as one of the brightest prospects to come out of the academy. ■■Aston Villa defender Ahmed Elmohamady is making good progress in his recovery from injury and stands a good chance of playing in the Championship play-off final.

Villa stand on the brink of a return to the Premier League as they face Fulham at Wembley on Saturday and the 30-year-old is a player boss Steve Bruce would dearly like available.

Elmohamady was absent for the second leg of the semi-final at home to Middlesbrough last week after suffering a hamstring injury in the first game at the Riverside and there were fears he could also miss the showpiece at the national stadium.

However, things are looking much more positive after the Egyptian resumed training. ■■Wayne Rooney will travel to the United States to meet officials at DC United this week, his spokesperson has confirmed.

Everton’s former England captain, who has one year left on his contract at Goodison Park, has been linked with a move to the Washingtonbased Major League Soccer club in recent weeks.

No deal has been made between Everton and United but Rooney, 32, is travelling to the United States for exploratory talks with the permission and in the full knowledge of the Merseysiders. ■■David Gold says West Ham plan to provide new manager Manuel Pellegrini with more transfer funds this summer than in any previous transfer window.

Pellegrini was confirmed as Hammers boss on Tuesday.