Man Utd targeting Palace's Michael Olise as Ratcliffe era begins

Manchester United will reportedly target Crystal Palace starlet Michael Olise in the coming months. The highly-rated Frenchman is seen as one of the south London club’s biggest prospects. After all, Olise has shown great potential since becoming an established player for Palace in recent seasons.

The Premier League club previously purchased Olise from Reading for around $10 million in the summer of 2021. After slowly being integrated into the first team, the winger essentially broke out during the 2022/23 campaign. In fact, Olise recorded 11 assists in league play on the season. This was level with Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka and only trailed Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.

The player’s new release clause reportedly activates in the summer

Olise’s stellar season grabbed the attention of Chelsea during the most recent summer transfer period. The Blues narrowly signed the attacker for a fee of about $45 million in August. Although the deal was seemingly all but done, negotiations ultimately fell through in the final moments.

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As a result of the failed move, Chelsea turned their attention towards Manchester City’s Cole Palmer. The Englishman moved to the west London side in a $50 million deal in search of more playing time. Palmer has been an instant success for the Blues, despite the team’s continued overall struggles.

Just hours after seemingly being on his way across London, Olise signed a new and improved contract with Palace. Despite the extension, Mirror Football suggests that the Eagles included a new release clause in the deal. This clause becomes active once the current campaign is completed.

The aforementioned news outlet claims that the upcoming release clause is set at $75 million. Getting Olise to sign a new deal back in August essentially helped boost the player’s salary, while also protecting the club’s investment as well. Palace will now likely receive more money for the star winger than originally expected.

Ratcliffe supposedly wants Michael Olise to become the first major signing

Evening Standard is also claiming that United wants to make Olise one of the first marquee signings of the new Sir Jim Ratcliffe era. The British billionaire recently became a minority owner in the Red Devils. For a $1.6 billion investment, Ratcliffe will soon hold a 25% stake in the club.

The new minority owner has been in the stands for the team’s last two matches and is reportedly already identifying transfer targets. Despite holding a small percentage of United, all major decisions, including transfers, will be run by Ratcliffe. A January move for Olise has, however, already been ruled out.

Olise would seemingly give United a much-needed boost going forward. The typically potent Red Devils have struggled to score goals throughout the current season. In fact, Only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils during the 2023/24 campaign. Both of these clubs are currently in the bottom two of the table.

The Palace star has only played nine top-flight matches so far this season due to a previous injury, but he has already racked up five goals and an assist. Typically deployed on the right flank, has made a direct impact on Roy Hodgson’s team from a wide position.

United’s current main right winger, Antony, has been a massive bust since arriving in England in a deal worth over $100 million. In fact, the Brazilian has yet to even record a goal or assist in 21 total appearances during the current campaign.

Photo: IMAGO.