Chelsea can finally launch a bid for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise after being handed a double injury update. The Frenchman had been dealing with a hamstring injury suffered at the Under-21 European Championships with it therefore likely bids from the Blues and Manchester City would be lodged once more clarity was provided on his potential return.
Olise missed the entirety of Palace’s pre-season campaign, however he remained the talk of Roy Hodgson’s press conference with the Eagles boss providing the latest stance on his future earlier this week. “No one knows at this moment,” he told Sky Sports when asked if Olise will remain at the club for the 2023/24 campaign. “If there are clubs desperately or seriously preparing a bid and tempting him then he’ll have a decision.
“I can only wait and see what decision is he going to make. He knows we are very keen to keep him. You can never be certain that the players you’ve got, like, want are definitely going to stay – we have a transfer market. I can only hope that market doesn’t on this occasion punish us by persuading one of our very important players to move.”
Much of the talk surrounding an exit for Olise included concern about the severity of his hamstring injury, with RMC journalist Fabrice Hawkins claiming Chelsea tabled a €30million (£25.9million) verbal offer last week to sign Olise. It was also noted the Blues will put the offer in writing officially once they have more clarity on his injury which now appears to have been provided.
After weeks of recovering away from the club, Olise has been spotted in the gym which suggests a return to full first-team training cannot be far off. This boost comes after a major injury setback for Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea with Christopher Nkunku, who only joined the club this summer in a pre-contract agreement worth £52million, set to miss a number of months with a knee injury.
However, while not a direct replacement for his fellow Frenchman, the incentive has increased for the Blues to beat Manchester City in the race for Olise’s signature in an attempt to bolster their attacking options. Alternative targets include Mohammed Kudus and Rayan Cherki, although Brighton have already reached a transfer agreement for the former while there are concerns within Stamford Bridge about Cherki’s attitude.
