Chelsea SUBMIT offer for Premier League wonderkid with BARGAIN release clause

Cameron Smith

• 23 Jul 2023 18:18 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have submitted a bid for Crystal Palace and France wonderkid Michael Olise, according to RMC’s Fabrice Hawkins.

The 21-year-old has been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park for some time, with Chelsea and Manchester City said to be keen on landing him.

He has impressed since joining the Premier League side from Reading, and his form for France’s U21 team has also been fantastic.

MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

According to Hawkins, Chelsea’s bid is slightly lower than €45 million, while Olise has been “seduced” by the Chelsea project, which has already attracted both Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson so far this summer.

With Paul Winstanley in charge of recruitment, the Blues have altered their transfer strategy away from signing big-name stars and have instead decided to pursue some of the best young talent in world football.

As well as Olise, the west London club have also been linked with a move for Olympique Lyonnais wonderkid Rayan Cherki, while The Athletic have reported that Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus is also being tracked by Chelsea.

MORE: Chelsea ADVANCING in talks for Ligue 1 wonderkid

The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke joined the Blues in January, with Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei preceding them last summer.

Olise’s release clause

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Olise currently has a €40 million (£35m) release clause in his Palace contract, with Chelsea and Man City holding interest in his services.

However, Olise suffered a hamstring injury at the U21 European Championships, which means he will miss the start of the 2023/24 season. It’s believed this hasn’t dissuaded Chelsea, who were also linked with a move for the winger last summer.

The Crystal Palace star only scored two goals in all competitions last season, but one was a last-minute equalising free-kick against Manchester United. Far more impressively, Olise provided 11 assists in the Premier League - only Kevin de Bruyne (16) and Mohamed Salah (12) managed to better this tally.