Chelsea has encountered a significant obstacle in their pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise due to a peculiar stipulation in his release clause.
The 22-year-old talent, who delivered an impressive 16 goal contributions in just 19 Premier League appearances last season, has attracted interest from several top clubs, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Newcastle and Bayern Munich were the first to initiate official contact with Crystal Palace to explore the requirements for Olise’s potential transfer this summer.
Chelsea soon followed suit, having shown a longstanding interest in the player, even attempting to secure his signature the previous summer by activating his £35 million release clause. However, Olise chose to remain with Palace, subsequently signing a new contract that increased his release clause to £60 million.
Release clause Complication
The main complication for Chelsea arises from a stipulation in Olise’s release clause that limits its activation to clubs qualified for the Champions League.
Chelsea’s qualification for the UEFA Conference League next season renders them ineligible to trigger this clause directly. This constraint similarly affects Newcastle, which also failed to secure Champions League qualification. In contrast, Bayern Munich faces no such issue, positioning them as strong contenders for Olise’s signature.
Additionally, Manchester United and Manchester City are also in the mix, with City being another club that meets the Champions League criterion. United, not qualifying for the Champions League, would have to navigate the same hurdles as Chelsea.
Despite this setback, Chelsea remains optimistic. TEAMtalk reports that the Blues are preparing an initial bid structured in installments and inclusive of add-ons to meet the £60 million valuation.
Since they cannot directly trigger the release clause, Chelsea will need to negotiate a deal independently with Crystal Palace. Their confidence stems from a belief that if they can reach an agreement with Palace, Olise will likely opt to join them.
As the English summer transfer window opens, Olise is poised to be one of the high-profile early moves. Chelsea is determined to navigate the complexities of his release clause and fend off competition from rivals like Manchester City and Bayern Munich to secure the talented winger’s services.
