Chelsea attempted to sign Michael Olise from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2023 but the French under-21 international now appears poised to move to the Bundesliga
Crystal Palace star Michael Olise has decided to join Bayern Munich despite significant Premier League interest, it has been claimed.
Olise, who starred for the Eagles last season, has been on the radar of several Premier League clubs. However, Chelsea are thought to have pulled out of the process amid questions over their transfer budget.
Olise has a release clause in his Palace deal, though this is only thought to apply to teams in the Champions League. According to The Athletic, Chelsea and Newcastle – who aren’t in the competition next season – both made initial contact with Palace.
However, Chelsea are understood to have pulled out of the process, with the same publication indicating the Blues considered the financial terms “beyond reach”. The west London side attempted to land Olise 12 months earlier, only for the ex-Reading star to instead agree an improved deal at Selhurst Park.
Manchester United and Manchester City have both been admirers of Olise but are not reported to have been among a trio of clubs to make early contact with Palace. Olise is not part of France’s Euro 2024 squad, where Les Bleus are in Group F with Poland, Austria and The Netherlands, but was named in Thierry Henry’s Olympics squad.
The 22-year-old played just 19 times for Palace in the Premier League last season but found the net 10 times. He starred in a 4-0 victory over Manchester United towards the end of the season as Oliver Glasner’s side ended the campaign in fine form.
Bayern turned to the Premier League last summer when they completed a big-money move for Harry Kane. Olise would be a big statement signing for the Bavarians as they aim to return to the summit of the Bundesliga under new manager Vincent Kompany.
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“I think everybody knows he’s a good player,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner said of Olise in May. “He’s fit now, I also think we found a very good position for him and he has a lot of individual qualities. He is a brilliant player, a great guy, but he also benefits from other players.
“Michael is brilliant, Ebs (Eze) is brilliant, Dean (Henderson) was brilliant, Joel (Ward) was brilliant. I could tell you all the players, because otherwise we wouldn’t have won here.”
Olise was part of the French Under-21 squad at the 2023 European Championships, but an injury picked up during that tournament limited his involvement last term. He thrived when fit, though, helping the Eagles win six of their last seven games to finish the season in 10th.
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