Chelsea And Man United Target Michael Olise Is Set To Join Bundesliga Side Bayern Munich.

• Crystal winger Michael Olise has rejected offers from Chelsea and Manchester United, and decided to leave the Premier League to join German giants Bayern Munich.

• The Red Devils had previously shown an interest in Olise but did not make an offer, as they prefer to focus on targets in other positions.

• Newcastle United and Man City have also retained a strong interest in the player.

The Blues are chasing a number of new attacking signings this summer and had initially focused on Olise, holding talks with both the Frenchman and Palace in the hope of winning the race for his signature.

The Athletic revealed that Bayern Munich had contacted Palace, as both sides entered negotiations and have triggered the £55million release clause option.

Chelsea decided that the finances involved were beyond reach and chose not to proceed due to the overall cost for the 22-year-old.

A deal was expected to be complex and percentages of any transfer due to Palace, the player himself, and his former club Reading. 

Chelsea had unsuccessfully attempted to sign the France Under-21 youth international for a fee in the region of £35m last summer, thinking they had activated his release clause.

Bayern are now expected to agree a deal with Palace for Olise to put an end to speculation over his future this summer.

Palace are set to make a hefty profit on Olise, having signed him three years ago for a fee of around £8m. He has since made 82 appearances in the top-flight.

Olise subsequently signed a new four-year deal with Crystal Palace last August on a bumper £100,000 lasting until 2027.

He had the offer of a new contract to stay at Selhurst Park, but has been lured by the prospect of playing in the Champions League next season.

Olise, who joined Palace in 2021, scored 10 goals the best haul of his career, and provided six assists in 19 appearances during a standout 2023-24 season under new manager Oliver Glasner despite his campaign being disrupted by a hamstring injury.

He is also expected to earn a mouth-watering salary expected to be £220,000 at the Allianz Arena.

Olise has been picked in the France Under-23 preliminary squad under head coach Thierry Henry for the Paris Olympic Games, which start in July.

The men’s football 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 two weeks to recover before the opening day of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season.

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