Chelsea have made contact with Crystal Palace regarding the possibility of signing Michael Olise.
The south-west London club asked for permission on Wednesday afternoon to speak to the winger’s representatives with the hope of agreeing personal terms.
The Athletic reported in Tuesday’s edition of the DealSheet that interested parties have been advised to strike a deal with Palace before attempting to agree terms with Olise’s camp.
Bayern Munich and Newcastle United have also contacted Palace, while Manchester United and Manchester City retain a strong interest in the playmaker.
The 22-year-old came close to completing a move to Chelsea last summer but he opted to stay at Selhurst Park, signing a new four-year deal.
His new contract made him one of Palace’s top earners and contains a new, higher release clause, believed to be in the region of £60m (€70.5m), which Chelsea are prepared to meet.
Olise, who joined the Selhurst Park club in 2021, scored 10 goals in 19 appearances during a standout 2023-24 campaign under new manager Oliver Glasner.
He produced his best return in front of goal despite missing a total of 18 games with two occurrences of the same hamstring injury.
He has scored 16 goals and provided 25 assists in all competitions since joining Palace from Reading.
In 2022-23, he featured in all-but-one of Palace’s league campaign, scoring twice and contributing 11 assists — the fourth-most in the Premier League that season.
The winger was named in France Under-23 head coach Thierry Henry’s preliminary squad for this summer’s Olympic Games.
The men’s soccer tournament runs from July 24 to August 9, when the gold medal match is scheduled to take place in Paris. If France make it to the final, Olise would have just seven days to recover before the opening day of the 2024-25 campaign.
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