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David Ornstein of The Athletic has given a hint on which club Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise may end up signing for and it’s not good news for Manchester United.
Olise is believed to be a prime target for United ahead of the summer transfer window.
In the 2023/24 season, the winger plundered 10 goals and six assists in 19 Premier League appearances – an impressive return considering just how much his campaign was ravaged by injuries.
United are thought to be the frontrunners to secure Olise’s services as the Frenchman is a boyhood fan of the club. However, Chelsea are also pursuing him and are said to be “bullish” about their chances of landing him after they failed to acquire him last summer.
However, according to Ornstein who spoke on The Athletic FC Podcast, other clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool are also monitoring Olise and could enter the fray for him.
If this happens, it could spell trouble for the Red Devils because according to the journalist, Olise would likely prefer to join a club that can offer him Champions League football.
Ornstein said about the 22-year-old’s future and his transfer situation, “I think this is going to be one of the fascinating narratives as the market unfolds because there are of course lots of top players and he’s one of them. Not many of them have release clauses but he does. By all accounts, it’s not extortionate – relatively speaking – for the quality of player that he is.”
“The key thing here is that in a market of such uncertainty about valuations and especially leading players, to have a player who has a clause and it’s not ludicrous, brings a little bit of clarity to clubs when they’re looking at their budgets and who they might want to target or not.”
“Olise has admirers across the game and at the very top level. We’ve seen the links to Manchester United, Manchester City maybe, Chelsea went for him last summer and could very well try again. It wouldn’t surprise you if other top clubs like Liverpool – there have been some online rumours about them – and even Arsenal’s name gets thrown into the hat, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain…the biggest clubs in world football.”
“Ornstein added, “That puts Olise in a very strong position because ultimately if and when these offers arrive and if Crystal Palace are compelled to accept by virtue of there being a clause, he’ll have his pick of many of the leading lights in world football. Everything I hear about Olise is that he’s a considerate guy, very intelligent and calm. He really works through these things in his head and he’s not going to jump into rash decisions.”
“Maybe he ultimately decides that he wants to stay at Palace…I don’t think there’s a guarantee that he moves, but it’s one that’s being talked about as someone that he could move.”
Ornstein further stated that Olise has the talent to make it all the way to the top, provided he remains fit and injury-free.
“This is somebody that there’s a feeling around that he should be aiming as high as possible. I’ve always been led to believe that Champions League is the step that he would take after leaving Palace. That’s not ruling out a really exciting project and if he holds talks with say United and he really likes what he hears and the numbers are right and it all adds up, then something happens there.”
Ornstein went on ahead to warn that if Champions League clubs are in the frame for him and it’s a stable prospect, then it’s an opportunity he would be inclined to accept.
This is especially because the London-born forward would be leaving something that’s working under Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park. If so, he’d love to go somewhere where he’d be challenging for the biggest trophies and club honours.
Finally, Ornstein reiterated yet again on the podcast that if he had to guess, Olise would prefer a switch to an outfit already in the Champions League, although nothing is cast in stone.
