Manchester United look like winning the race to land Michael Olise, ahead of Chelsea
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United look to be ahead of Chelsea when it comes to signing Michael Olise.
The two clubs have history when it comes to going for the same targets, with John Obi Mikel's move to Stamford Bridge in 2005 the obvious example, when the Red Devils infamously announced a deal first.
Now, it looks like United could well have gotten revenge almost 20 years later, as highly-rated Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is believed to favour a move to Manchester United over Chelsea, according to football.london.
Manchester United want Michael Olise (Image credit: Getty Images)
Olise, 22, spent seven years with Chelsea from the age of seven to 14 but could be set to snub the Blues for the club he supported as a boy. A move to Stamford Bridge appeared imminent last summer when his £35 million release clause was activated before he signed a four-year contract extension with Palace, although he is expected to leave Selhurst Park this summer.
While The Eagles have struggled this season, Olise has shown why he is attracting interest from two of the biggest clubs in world football. Although the Frenchman’s game time has been limited by injuries, he has still managed five goals and one assist in nine appearances.
It’s little wonder then that Erik ten Hag is eager to add Olise to his ranks. Manchester United’s issues in front of goal have been well documented, with only three teams finding the net less than The Red Devils to this point of the current campaign.
United have struggled for goals this season (Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea, who sit one place and one point below United in the Premier League table, are still expected to pursue the 22-year-old in summer and continue their major spending spree.
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Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is also believed to be among the targets for Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino, with the Italian club resigned to losing their star striker.
Andy is a freelance sports journalist whose work has appeared across a number of print and online titles, including Golf Monthly, Eurosport and TNT Sports. He graduated in 2019 and began his career working in golf before joining Future in February 2021 as a staff writer for Golf Monthly. Andy has since decided to branch out into other sports and now covers football, rugby, snooker, UFC, Formula 1, boxing, and others. He is a Manchester United fan and joins the FourFourTwo team at an interesting time for his club and the game as a whole.
