Kasey Palmer's three-year spell at Ashton Gate has come to an end after joining Coventry for an undisclosed fee.
The attacking midfielder has signed a three-year deal with Mark Robins' side and underwent a medical earlier on Tuesday after returning from his holiday in the Maldives.
The 25-year-old was expected to leave for Coventry for no transfer fee despite having a year left on his contract with the club eager to get his wages off the books. Although there is a fee involved, it remains unclear how much money City recouped from the £3.5million they paid for him in 2019.
Palmer's fate was sealed last season when he completely fell out of favour in Nigel Pearson's plans. He made just one league start with his final appearance coming in the 6-2 FA Cup defeat to Fulham at the beginning of January.
Robins told Coventry's official site of the transfer: "We are delighted to welcome Kasey to Coventry City. He is a player with great technical and creative ability who we are excited to be working with.
“Kasey will add further quality to our squad, and brings much experience at this level too.”
City had been keen to get Palmer's salary off their wage books in the previous two transfer windows with the player remaining one of the highest earners at the club following his permanent move from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 following a six-month loan spell. It means City will save around £1million in wages by allowing Palmer to leave 12 months before the expiration of his contract.
Palmer was told he was redundant to Pearson's plans before the end of the campaign and therefore free to talk to other clubs. He was one of the notable absentees alongside Robbie Cundy who failed to show up to pre-season training on Monday.
A switch to Coventry has seen Palmer reunite with former Chelsea coach Adi Viveash, who is now No2 to manager Robins. Viveash managed the playmaker at youth level that also saw them win back-to-back UEFA Youth Leagues.
His move is the second significant departure this summer after Callum O'Dowda joined Cardiff City on a free transfer while other players such as Zak Vyner, Taylor Moore and Tyreeq Bakinson are expected to follow suit.
How Palmer progresses at Coventry will be intriguing considering how his time at BS3 has developed over three years since his switch. He has failed to earn a regular run in the first team under three different managers in Lee Johnson, Dean Holden and Pearson, making just 28 league starts across 54 Championship appearances and scoring four goals.
Interestingly, City were linked with fellow attacking midfielder Jack Rudoni from AFC Wimbledon on Monday alongside Championship rivals Huddersfield and Sunderland. Reports claimed the Robins were one of the clubs to have had a £1million bid rejected but Bristol Live understands that while they are interested, no offer has been made yet.
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