Chelsea target £45m Olise alternative as Romano reveals why transfer fell through
Robin Bairner
- 17 Aug 2023 15:13 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea’s hunt for a centre forward has seen them take a serious interest in Nottingham Forest striker Brennan Johnson.
The Guardian reports that the Blues are exploring the possibility of a transfer deal for the 22-year-old, who is valued by Forest at £45 million (€53m).
Talks are at an early stage while there is a possibility that Chelsea will look to add players in the deal as a part-exchange.
MORE: The FIVE things Chelsea NEED to do before the transfer window closes
The Stamford Bridge club are set to be very active in the coming days in the transfer market, with deals in the pipeline for Romeo Lavia and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic of the New England Revolution in MLS.
However, Chelsea are still in the market for an attacking player after Michael Olise signed a new deal with Crystal Palace.
Following that setback, Johnson has emerged as a surprising target for the Stamford Bridge outfit, who already have Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke competing for a wide berth. This move however, has been prompted by an injury sustained by Christopher Nkunku.
He scored eight times in 38 Premier League appearances for Forest last season.
MORE: Chelsea launch RECORD transfer bid for Man Utd target
Why did Michael Olise’s Chelsea transfer fail?
Michael Olise signed a new four-year contract with Crystal Palace instead of moving to Chelsea in a shock turn of events.
This was prompted by the unhappiness of the selling club, who had previously claimed that Chelsea had ‘tapped up’ the France U21 winger.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed: “Crystal Palace informed club’s lawyers of their intention to consider going to a tribunal with Chelsea over approach for Olise.
“That’s how the story changed — Palace very strong on that and Chelsea left the conversations.”
No evidence has been presented that suggests Chelsea did indeed contact the player illegally, but Palace’s claims would have complicated the transfer and as such the Stamford Bridge side have decided to move on to fresh targets.
