Chelsea’s pursuit of Michael Olise has been well-documented in recent weeks. The Crystal Palace winger is a top target for the Blues this summer and his future at Selhurst Park remains uncertain.
Chelsea is set to talk to Olise and his representative in the next few days after the Eagles have given permission. The 22-year-old has a £60million release clause inserted in the contract he signed Palace last summer but any move would be complicated, with parts of the money owed to his former club Reading as well.
On Wednesday night it emerged Palace had offered Olise a new deal themselves, with a higher salary and a new release clause as part of the new terms. It’s now firmly up to the player whether he chooses to stay at Palace or move to Chelsea, although Bayern Munich and Newcastle United have also been permitted to speak to the player.
If Olise does choose to stay in south London or indeed move to another club that isn’t Chelsea, the Blues would need to look at alternatives. One player who has previously been linked with the Stamford Bridge outfit is Federico Chiesa.
The Juventus man is a versatile winger who can operate anywhere across the front line. Chelsea expressed interest in the 26-year-old last summer but signed several other attacking talents instead, such as Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Christopher Nkunku.
Chiesa’s time at Juventus has been plagued by injuries, he suffered an ACL injury the following season which somewhat halted his progress, but last campaign he appeared back to his best. Chiesa appeared 37 times in a Juventus shirt during the 2023/24 season, scoring 10 goals and assisting three more
“The injury slowed down my career, but it taught me a lot,” Chiesa told France Football. “Before I was probably a more instinctive, a more impulsive player, and maybe my game has changed a little, but not my speed. Now I’m back to being very close to the level I was before the injury.”
Chiesa is now part of the Italy squad competing at Euro 2024, with the winger starting his nation’s opening group-stage clash against Albania. The Italian started the game at Signal Iduna Park on the right wing and was named UEFA Player of the Match after playing a starring role in the 2-1 victory.
