Chelsea intended to rival Arsenal for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise, but those plans now appear to be over amid Roman Abramovich’s sanctions.
The Daily Mail report that Arsenal and Chelsea both want to sign Olise this summer after a strong first season at Palace.
That may have been somewhat daunting for Arsenal given the pulling power of Chelsea – and Olise’s history there.
Olise spent time in the Chelsea youth ranks as a kid before moving on to Manchester City and Reading.
Olise may feel some kind of unfinished business at Chelsea but any chance of a move to Stamford Bridge now appears to be over.
Chelsea owner Abramovich has today been sanctioned by the UK government as they crack down on Russian oligarchs.
The sanctions mean Chelsea are frozen; they can’t sign new players, they can’t offer new contracts, they can’t sell tickets… truly unprecedented events in the Premier League.
Unless the situation somehow changes ahead of the summer transfer window, it looks like Chelsea will lose players on free transfers and be unable to bring in new faces.
That includes Olise, with Chelsea’s situation possibly leaving Arsenal in pole position for his signature this summer.
Olise, 20, joined Palace for £8million last summer and could yet move on for a hefty profit this summer.
The playmaker – who can play for England, France, Algeria or Nigeria – has recorded four goals and eight assists in 25 games for Palace this term.
Capable of playing on the right or as a number 10, Olise would offer ideal competition for both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in one fell swoop.
Branded ‘very exciting’ by Ian Wright, Olise looks set for a huge future and absolutely fits the youth movement at Arsenal.
With Chelsea seemingly out of the picture, we could see Arsenal move in and take full advantage by securing Olise this summer.
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