Chelsea 'reach agreement' for transfer of £39m midfield starlet from London rivals

Chelsea appear to be closing in on the signing of Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, with the Blues reportedly agreeing a deal ‘in principle’.

Olise – who spent seven years in Chelsea’s youth set-up – is said to be keen on the prospect of a move to Stamford Bridge, where Mauricio Pochettino’s squad is steadily taking shape.

The France U21 international enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 season for Palace, who he joined from Reading two years ago.

And his performances seem to have caught the eye of Chelsea, with RMC Sport (via GOAL) reporting that the Blues have tabled a £39m bid for the 21-year-old.

Olise is currently valued at just under £33m by Transfermarkt – but Palace were said to be holding out for around £50m for one of their star men.

Only three players (Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and Leandro Trossard) set up more Premier League goals last term than Olise, whose 11 assists placed him level with Bukayo Saka.

In Palace’s 5-1 thrashing of Leeds in April, Olise became the one-time Arsenal trainee became the youngest player to provide three assists from open play in a single Premier League game.

While he made most of his mark as a creator, Olise also found the net twice himself – most notably with a stunning stoppage-time free-kick to clinch Palace a draw against Manchester United in January.

He looks to have a very high ceiling indeed, and it’s not hard to see why he might be of interest to Chelsea as they look to bounce back from their thoroughly disappointing 2022/23 campaign.

However, the Blues coud face stiff competition from Premier League champions Manchester City – who let Olise go as a 16-year-old.

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Chelsea transfer news is starting to gather pace.

Having already signed Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in attack, the Blues have been linked with a sensational swoop for Kylian Mbappe. The two-time European champions are still trying to offload Romelu Lukaku, though, with the striker thought to favour a move to Juventus.

Meanwhile, Chelsea could bring academy graduate Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge – just two years after selling the defender to Crystal Palace.