Chelsea bids £39million for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise

Chelsea have reportedly made a £39 million offer for 21-year-old Nigerian-born French footballer and Crystal Palace star Michael Olise.

RMC reported that Chelsea offered £4 million above Michael Olise’s £35m release clause as they aim to beat Manchester City to the Crystal Palace winger. It’s been also gathered that Olise is “seduced by the project” Mauricio Pochettino is developing as the new Blues’ boss.

Mauricio Pochettino is keen to rebuild his Chelsea squad this summer, but their spending has been somewhat limited to date. The focus at Stamford Bridge has been primarily focused on trimming the size of the squad. This would help the ex-Tottenham boss have a smaller group of players to work with to avoid restlessness on the sidelines.

Several players have headed to Saudi Arabia as a result, with Kai Havertz joining Chelsea and Mason Mount heading to Manchester United as well. With the transfer budget now bolstered, the focus appears to be switching to freshening up the squad.

Olise, who was previously been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool, and PSG, but in April, was a star player for Palace last season, scoring twice and registering 11 assists in 37 Premier League appearances. He thrived when he was given more freedom by Roy Hodgson when he returned to the Selhurst Park dugout. His performances caught the eye of several top clubs, though Chelsea appear keen to steal a march on any rivals that were considering tabling a bid.

The former Reading star is incredibly highly rated by Palace, though journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that they will not be able to charge a significant fee for his services as he has a £35m release clause in his contract, with Manchester City also monitoring his situation closely.

It is also unlikely that Crystal Palace will want to part ways with the forward, especially for a fee as low as what Chelsea have offered.

Olise was previously in Chelsea’s academy from 2009 to 2016, before moving to City, and then Reading where he rose to prominence.

Should he return to West London, he would link up with his younger brother Richard, who is in Chelsea’s academy.

He featured for France at the European U21 Championships but unfortunately picked up a hamstring tear which will see him miss the start of the Premier League season.

Michael Olise still has ambitions of making Les Bleus’ senior team, though, with a move to Chelsea potentially drawing Didier Deschamps’s attention.