Michael Olise decides to make shock move to European giants, snubbing interest from Man United and Chelsea among others as Crystal Palace are expected to agree a deal
- Michael Olise, 22, has agreed to join Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace
- The widely admired winger has rejected interest from Manchester United
- Listen to It all starts! Declan Rice ‘had a shock’ against Denmark – but is the Arsenal midfielder the victim?
Michael Olise has chosen to join Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace.
The two clubs are negotiating the player’s release clause and the France U21 international will link up with new Bayern coach Vincent Kompany as part of an exciting new attack with England captain Harry Kane.
The 22-year-old winger also had a lot of interest from Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea, although the latter announced on Friday that it was no longer in the running for Olise’s signature.
Palace had been prepared to offer Olise a new contract, but the lure of Champions League football proved too great.
Bayern are looking to return as the dominant force in German football after being toppled by Xavi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen last season.
Michael Olise has agreed to move from Crystal Palace to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich
The news comes as a blow to Manchester United and other clubs who were interested
Olise joined Palace from Reading in 2021, moving from the Championship to the Premier League.
In his three years at Palace he has become a fan favorite and one of their best attacking talents alongside England’s Eberechi Eze.
The winger scored ten goals last season, the best of his career, and provided six assists.
He signed a new contract last August for £100,000 a week.
But with the youngster being the subject of intense interest from top Premier League clubs and European giants, it was always going to be difficult to keep hold of him.
The Eagles were reportedly prepared to offer him a renewed contract in recent days in a bid to retain their rising star.
Should Olise come to Bayern, it would be a coup for Vincent Kompany, who succeeded Thomas Tuchel at the Allianz Arena last month.
It is a setback, but not unexpected, for the young Oliver Glasner government in south London.
Olise is having the most productive year of his career: he scored ten goals and assisted six times
Kompany signed a three-year contract, with Burnley receiving around £10 million in compensation for the Belgian, who failed to keep them in the Premier League.
The Austrian guided Palace to tenth place in the Premier League after joining in February.
Glasner, who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, has transformed the playing style and enthusiasm around the club.
Young Adam Wharton has particularly benefited from his guidance since joining from Blackburn in January in his first tournament with England at the 2024 European Championship.
The move of an iconic star is something Palace have recent experience of, having parted ways with Wilfried Zaha last summer when he joined Galatasaray in Turkey.
That ended Zaha’s second nine-year spell at the club, but after a hot and cold first part of the season under Roy Hodgson, they have gone from strength to strength since.
More to follow.