Summary Chelsea are very interested in signing Crystal Palace star Michael Olise and there may be a mechanism in his contract that could facilitate the deal. Olise had an impressive season with Palace, scoring two goals and providing 11 assists in 31 Premier League starts. His statistics indicate he could thrive at a bigger club. Former boss Patrick Viera praised Olise's talent and contribution to the team, showcasing his potential to make a positive impact at Chelsea if the deal goes through.
Chelsea are "very keen" on Crystal Palace star Michael Olise, who could have a "mechanism" in his contract that could allow them to get the deal done, claims journalist Alex Crook.
Is Michael Olise joining Chelsea this summer?
It's been another all-hands-on-deck kind of transfer window for the blue side of West London this summer. Granted, a lot of the activity initially focused on shipping out practically an entire squad of first-team players, but attention has undoubtedly turned to incomings now.
The most significant signings Mauricio Pochettino's new side have made so far this window include the young striker Nicolas Jackson, who joined the club from Villarreal in a deal worth £30m, French defender Axel Disasi, who joined from AS Monaco for £39m and Christopher Nkunku who joined from RB Leipzig for £52m – albeit this deal was agreed in December.
The Pensioners are far from done there, though, and with another month of the window to go, they will likely welcome at least a few more new faces to Stamford Bridge, one of those potentially being Palace youngster Olise.
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The French under-21 star attracted a lot of attention following a brilliant campaign last season, and the Mirror have reported that both the Blues and City are 'ramping up' their efforts to sign him, efforts that have been slowed somewhat over confusion regarding a potential release clause in his contract.
It was believed that the 21-year-old had a clause in his current deal that would allow him to leave should a side come in with a £35m bid. However, this has now been reported as false, and instead, there is a "mechanism" in his contract akin to Alexis Mac Allister's situation earlier in the window, per Alex Crook.
He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip being posted to their YouTube channel:
"A little bit of confusion around Olise because he's been suggested in some quarters that he has a release clause of £35m, we've been told by Palace that that isn't the case, but I do believe there is a mechanism in his contract similar to what Brighton did with Alexis MacAllister that if a certain offer is made by a certain date, then they will be entitled, Oliise's Camp, to negotiate with the buying club.
"Chelsea and Manchester City both very keen on him, Palace obviously want him to stay."
Would Michael Olise be a good signing?
While the Blues are certainly stacked in the wing positions, signing a player as talented as Palace's "magic" star is for a price potentially as low as £35m seems like an opportunity too good to pass up.
In his 31 Premier League starts last season, he scored two goals, provided 11 assists – more than double the next player in the squad -, won five Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged an impressive match rating of 6.99, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers are also really quite impressive and paint a picture of a player that could replicate, if not improve, his form at a bigger club if he was given a chance to.
According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the "brilliant" winger sits in the top 7% for assists, the top 11% for blocks, the top 13% for interceptions, the top 15% for expected assists and tackles, and the top 19% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.
His performances drew praise from former boss Patrick Viera on multiple occasions last season, with the Frenchman lauding the youngster after a game against West Ham United, saying:
"Michael is a top young player with a lot of talent. He didn't do any training with the team in the last ten days, and he just came on and was straight into the squad.
"I was really pleased with the way he came into the game because he created chances, he created situations, and he scored a goal. He showed in the space of 20 minutes his quality, and that's really good for the football club."
If Chelsea can get this deal done and beat City to his signature, it could go a long way in helping Pochettino bring European football back to Stamford Bridge.
