David Moyes revealed the Chelsea star was close to joining West Ham last summer

David Moyes has revealed that West Ham were close to signing Cole Palmer last summer before he moved to Chelsea.

The Hammers were looking to secure Palmer's signature at the end of last season before he left Manchester City, but they ended up losing out to their west London rivals.

Meanwhile, City were interested in signing Lucas Paqueta from West Ham in the summer but pulled out of the deal due to an investigation into possible betting breaches by the midfielder.

Ahead of West Ham's trip to Chelsea on Sunday, Moyes has laid the blame for his club's inability to sign Palmer, suggesting Paqueta's collapse at City was to blame.

“[We were] close, close,” Moyes said of Palmer's signature. “Maybe you can think of another part of it, where there could be somebody going here who could do that job.

“I was always in contact with his agent and we were going well with it but it just changed in the end and we couldn't.

“I used to watch him play for England Under-21s and I thought he was their best player. I have always been keen to bring in British actors.

“The biggest problem is that he played in the same position as Jarrod Bowen, but I thought Jarrod would be a central midfielder.”

Moyes added: “Lee Carsley, who was one of my old players [at Everton] as well as the manager of England U21, he always gave me advice about their players and Cole in particular.

“He spoke a lot about himself and the way he was. We knew he could play in many positions and let's talk, he has been a revelation this year for Chelsea.”

Palmer is second in the Premier League Golden Boot race, just one behind Erling Haaland's 21 goals so far. Jarrod Bowen is in seventh place, having scored 16 goals in the league this season.

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