According to an exclusive report by Give Me Sport, Chelsea have already agreed personal terms with Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
Olise has been on Chelsea’s radar for over a year and it looks like they have moved really close to landing the right-winger. Now, the only thing left for them to do is to figure out a payment structure for his release clause.
Olise has a £60 million release clause but it seems, Chelsea cannot afford to pay the money upright because that might cause a breach of FFP rules which is why they are looking to pay it through multiple installments.
Do Chelsea need a player like Michael Olise?
Michael Olise was one of the best wide attackers in the Premier League this season with an xA of 4.99 and xG of 5.51. With 21 shots on goal, the 22-year-old has 16 goal contributions in 19 league outings.
His numbers might not look impressive at first glance but he did miss 60 days during the second half of the campaign due to a hamstring injury.
Currently, Chelsea have Noni Madueke as the only big-name right-winger so it’s very evident that the new manager will need reinforcements in that position. Cole Palmer has played out right this season with a brilliant impact but he is primarily a No 10 and Enzo Maresca will want to use him in that role.
A player like Michael Olise will come straight in and find a regular starting position in this disjointed Chelsea team and the fact that he’s already agreed on personal terms means the Blues have him on the top of their wishlist.
Can Man United stage a coup for the winger?
Manchester United have also been heavily linked with Michael Olise and the fact that they are planning to offload Antony makes the Palace man a very important summer target.
The new INEOS owners will happily pay £60 million for a player of Olise’s talent but it will be very hard for them to convince the 22-year-old to ditch Chelsea and join them.
At United, Michael Olise will be able to play in the Europa League as compared to the Conference League with the Blues but Manchester United’s managerial position is still undecided and if United cannot sort that out in time, there’s no way they will be able to jump over Chelsea in this transfer race.
The other saving grace that Man United currently have is if Crystal Palace reject Chelsea’s installment offer and want the release clause upfront this summer itself.
