15 August 2023 , 21:06
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Crystal Palace are reportedly unhappy with Chelsea over their pursuit of Michael Olise after activating a release clause in the winger's contract.
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of the 21-year-old, who laid on 11 Premier League assists last season. Palace have already lost Wilfried Zaha this summer, and now another of their star men could be on the move.
Reports earlier on Tuesday indicated an official bid has been lodged for the playmaker, with the £35m sum enough to meet a release clause described as "complex" by The Mail. The same publication reports that Palace have let Chelsea know of their dissatisfaction at how things have turned out, believing their London rivals have 'crossed the line' in terms of transfer etiquette.
If the move for Olise goes through, it would take Chelsea's summer spending north of £300m. It might not be the last deal they complete, either, with talks ongoing over a move for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Palace remain keen to hold onto Olise, and have been reportedly been making efforts to convince him to snub any Chelsea approach. The former Reading man joined the club for £8m in 2021 and has grown into an important first-team player at Selhurst Park.
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The Mail's report claims Palace have considered reporting Chelsea for 'overstepping the mark' with their approach. The Blues, however, are said to be satisfied with their conduct.
Chelsea's interest in Olise comes in the light of Mauricio Pochettino's side breaking the Premier League transfer record to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton. £115m signing Caicedo joins the likes of Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in moving to West London this summer.
Should Michael Olise join Chelsea or stay put? Have your say in the comments section
Michael Olise has a decision to make on his future (Getty Images)Earlier in the window, it had looked as though Manchester City might also test Palace's resolve over Olise. However, Chelsea - who had the player on their academy books as a youngster - are the ones to have lodged a formal bid.
Chelsea don't have a free run at Lavia, either. They have come into the mix for the Southampton star after Liverpool had a bid rejected, and Saints director of football Jason Wilcox expects progress to be made sooner rather than later.
"So we're currently in negotiation with Chelsea now so it's a real tricky period for Romeo," Wilcox said at a fan's forum event. "But I'm confident that something will get done in the next week or so or in the next few days.
"And I think, you know, when we look at what Romeo's achieved here, I think every one of us here wouldn't want to lose him but the reality is, we're in the Championship and we need to reinvest and by buying Shea Charles, we've got another one who hopefully we can do the same with. So good luck to Romeo. Let's say it's not done yet. But we envisage in the next few days it will be completed.”
Palace aren't the first Premier League team to be unhappy with Chelsea this summer. Liverpool owner John W Henry and the club's board are understood to have been left "frustrated" as the Blues beat them to the signing of Caicedo from Brighton.
This led to suggestions there could be tension at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, when Henry flew in to attend the match. In addition to the Caicedo deal, Chelsea also look set to beat Liverpool to Lavia before the end of the transfer window.