Chelsea’s bid to sign Michael Olise takes fresh twist as swap deal emerges

Chelsea are refusing to take no for an answer in their pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, with a player swap deal potentially on the cards.

Mirror Football earlier exclusively revealed that the Blues had appeared to steal a march on their rivals in the race for Olise. The France under-21 winger spent time in Chelsea’s academy in his youth, but left when he was just 14 years old.

Now 22, Olise has established himself as a Premier League star. After making his professional debut with EFL outfit Reading as a teenager, he joined Crystal Palace in 2021 and has 14 goals and 22 assists in 82 league outings for the Eagles.

Chelsea aimed to land Olise last summer, only for the wide man to agree new terms at Selhurst Park. However, after scoring 10 times in less than 1,300 Premier League minutes last term, his stock has risen further.

According to The Sun, Chelsea are prepared to offer Trevoh Chalobah or Noni Madueke as part of a deal. The Telegraph also mentions Chalobah as part of a potential part-exchange, with Armando Broja and Cesare Casadei also options, while suggesting Palace themselves could make enquiries over former PSV Eindhoven winger Madueke.

The Telegraph also reports that Olise’s release clause – thought to be around £60million – can only be triggered by teams in the Champions League. Chelsea fell short of qualifying for the competition after finishing sixth last season, and will be looking to improve under new manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea aren’t the only Premier League club in the mix. Both Manchester clubs are fans of Olise, as are Arsenal and Liverpool, and it could yet come down to the player’s desire to play Champions League football.

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While Broja is reported to be one of the players who might be used as bait, the Albania striker has other admirers. AC Milan had a scout in Dortmund on Saturday night as the 22-year-old started against Italy, with Albania taking an early lead in their Euro 2024 opener against Italy but losing 2-1.

The frontman had a spell on loan at Fulham last season, after recovering from the serious injury which kept him sidelined for nine months, but struggled to displace Rodrigo Muniz as the starting striker at Craven Cottage, He has three goals in 38 appearances for Chelsea’s first team, but 27 of those games have come from the bench.

“The real pleasure in football is overcoming all that. I will use all the negativity as fuel to prove people wrong,” British-born striker Broja told The Athletic on the eve of the Euros. “I have had to do that all my life and this European Championship provides me with that opportunity, to show I am back from my injury, that I can do it against some of the best countries in the world, some of the best defenders, some of the best players.

“I just want to show the world; my country, my family, myself, people who have doubted me, people who have supported me, that I can achieve my expectations and become the player I know I can be.”

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