Chelsea may be unable to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise despite being prepared to pay his £60 million ($76.5m) buyout clause.
Chelsea tried and failed to sign the Eagles winger last summer, despite triggering his then £35m ($44.6m) release clause – with the ex-Reading man then putting pen to paper on a new four-year deal. Now, the Blues are back to try and land the 22-year-old, but a sizeable hurdle may scupper that deal.
Olise, whose contract at Selhurst Park runs until 2027, is likely to be the subject of a bidding war this summer. He has also been linked with Manchester United in the past. It remains to be seen if he will play for Palace again.
Despite missing much of this season with hamstring injuries, Olise was still a force to be reckoned with when fit. The France Under-21 international scored 10 goals and bagged six assists in just 19 Premier League games.
Michael Olise
The Telegraph states Chelsea have contacted Palace over a move for Olise but the release clause is not a straightforward one as it may only be triggered by a Champions League club. The Blues will play in the Europa Conference League next season, meaning only Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and teams who qualified for the elite competition would be able to secure his services.
Club career
Olise was a youth player at Arsenal, Chelsea (spending seven years with them before leaving aged 14), and Manchester City.
In July 2018, Olise was inducted into Reading’s Academy scholarship program. He made his debut for Reading on 12 March 2019, in a 3–0 home defeat to Leeds United, and on 15 July, he signed a three-year professional contract with the club.
He scored his first league goal for Reading on 19 September 2020, volleying home in the 76th minute with the second goal in a 2–0 win over Barnsley at the Madejski Stadium. In April 2021 he was nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Season. On 29 April 2021, he was crowned EFL Young Player of the Season.
On 8 July 2021, Olise signed a five-year deal with Premier League side Crystal Palace after they had activated his £8.37 million release clause.
On 11 September 2021, he made his Premier League debut for the club in a 3–0 home win against Tottenham after coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute in place of Jordan Ayew. Later that month, on 23 September, Olise made his full debut for Crystal Palace in a 1–1 home draw against Newcastle United.
On 3 October 2021, Olise scored his first Premier League goal for the club as a second-half substitute in a 2–2 home draw against Leicester City. In doing so he became Palace’s youngest Premier League scorer since Clinton Morrison in 1998.
On 9 April 2023, Olise became the youngest player to assist three goals from open play in a single Premier League match in a 5–1 victory against Leeds United.
On 13 May, he became the first Palace player to register ten assists in a single Premier League season, setting up Eberechi Eze’s second goal in a 2–0 win against Bournemouth. On 17 August 2023, it was announced Olise had signed a new four-year deal with Crystal Palace, amidst reports that he was on the verge of re-joining Chelsea.
