As The Pitch Prospect has learned, Michael Olise’s move from Crystal Palace to FC Bayern Munich is a done deal.
The German record champions have beaten Chelsea in the race for the talented 22-year-old attacker, who will move for £60 million.
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A release clause in Olise’s contract at Selhurst Park meant he was available for that fee this summer.
Palace had no choice but to cash in on one of its star trio.
The Eagles will hope to keep the other two gems in their squad, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, who has been hailed as England’s best player at Euro 2024 so far.
It is believed that Palace decided earlier this summer not to sell any of the three players for less than £60 million.
Chelsea were also interested in Olise, but Enzo Maresca’s team withdrew from the transfer for financial reasons.
Manchester United were also linked with an interest in the London-born French youth international, but they were also unlikely to shell out the £60 million for the player.
Olise previously spent time at Chelsea’s academy from 2009 to 2016 before being signed by Manchester City.
He only made his debut as a professional a year later, when he moved to Reading and excelled in the championship.
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The 22-year-old is now a regular in the Premier League at Selhurst Park and has scored ten goals in the 2023/24 season, his best performance to date.
This means Chelsea will now look for other options in attack, but will also use some of their summer budget to reward some of their existing players.
The west Londoners are believed to be looking to strengthen their squad with two attacking players this summer and are confident that an alternative to Olise will be found.
According to The Pitch Prospect, Chelsea are also in talks with Aston Villa about 20-year-old Colombian striker Jhon Duran.