Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola begged Cole Palmer to stay at the Champions before he moved to Chelsea.

Palmer, 21, has been strutting his stuff for the Blues after making his move in the summer. He was on electric form on Monday (April 15) evening, netting four goals against a hapless Everton side at Stamford Bridge.

The youngster is now tied at the top of the top goalscorer rankings with City's superstar Erling Haaland, despite being an attacking midfielder and not a forward. When asked if he regretted letting Palmer leave, Guardiola laughed and replied: "No, he's an exceptional player. We knew this when he was here.

“We know how he’s improving, but he’s had a lot of minutes. I said many times I didn’t give the minutes that maybe he deserved if he wanted the minutes and now he has at Chelsea. So I understand completely.

"I’m happy for him he’s a lovely guy, a shy guy, he has incredible potential, so why should it not be here? It is what it is. He’s playing good, he’s an incredible threat, he’s playing fantastically, so what can I say? The decision has been made for many reasons.

“He was asking for two seasons to leave. During two seasons, to leave, to leave. I said ‘no, stay, stay'. At the end, ‘no, I want to leave'. What can we do? I said in the pre-season, 'stay because Riyad [Mahrez] has gone’. He said 'no, I want to leave’. So after two seasons, what can I say?

“So, go, and there… playing that level is exceptional. Everybody knows it.”

Palmer switched City for Chelsea to the tune of an initial £40million, potentially rising to £42.5m with add-ons. In the Premier League, so far, Palmer has netted 20 goals.

However, Palmer's form hasn't been replicated by his team-mates, and Chelsea have been stuck in mid-table mediocrity for most of the season, currently lying in ninth place.

City, on the other hand, are currently in a title race with Liverpool and Arsenal. Both sides will be turning their attention to the cup, when they clash on Saturday in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Guardiola's side will be looking for a return to form after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on penalties on Wednesday evening.