Bristol City's chances of signing Chelsea's Kasey Palmer on a permanent basis appear to have become more remote after a Premier League side joined the race for his signature.
Newly promoted Norwich City are reportedly keen to sign the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, with the West London club demanding £4m.
Palmer spent the second half of the 2018/19 campaign on loan with the Robins and impressed with his flair and dribbling ability, although he struggled to hold down a starting place.
Head coach Lee Johnson had wanted last season's Chelsea loan trio of Palmer, Jay Dasilva and Tomas Kalas to return on a permanent basis, but it seems he may have to settle for the defensive pair.
According to Football Insider, the deal to bring Palmer back to Ashton Gate has stalled and the Canaries have entered the fray, with an immediate advantage as a top flight side.
Norwich see Palmer as a cheap option as they look to bolster their midfield having been impressed by his electric if mercurial performances on loan at Bristol City during the second half of last season.
Swansea City were also linked with a loan for the Chelsea youth product last week but may also face an uphill battle should Norwich solidify their interest.
Interestingly, Palmer was not one of the eight players to return from Chelsea's pre-season tour of Japan early in order to set up loan moves.
Whether Palmer goes anywhere next season is still in doubt as the Mirror previously reported that Palmer is one of a number of young players new Blues manager Frank Lampard is considering keeping hold of for the Premier League season due to the transfer embargo the Blues are under.
Added to that, Lee Johnson's desire for Palmer to return was caveated with the need for the former England Under-21 international to improve his general fitness and Johnson wanted a full pre-season to work with him.
Therefore if Palmer stays for the duration of Chelsea's Ireland trip, if City do pursue any interest, Johnson will not get to work with the 22-year-old until Monday, July 22, at the earliest.
That is just 12 days before the start of the Championship season against Leeds United, and while it doesn't make any move totally improbable, based on Johnson's statement post-Hull, it certainly decreases the chances.
Lee Johnson said after the recent friendly win over Hallen: "It's a difficult situation. There's a new manager gone in there and a manager who has worked with Kasey and seen him flourish through the youth teams.
"The best situation for Kasey Palmer is he fights his way into Chelsea's side.
"We've made the signing of Szmodics which is a similar position in that particular formation [4-2-3-1] and brings different qualities.
"But never say never because you never know what is going to happen with the rest of the squad - what might move in, and what might move out.
"At this moment in time I wouldn't say anything is pending on Kasey Palmer for that reason, really."
