On Saturday, Fabrizio Romano reported that Michael Olise was close to completing a move to Bayern Munich. He stated that the player had agreed on a five-year contract and all the details on the player’s end had been finalized. The move would cost Bayern Munich a total of £50m; £45m in fixed transfer fees for Crystal Palace and £5m in add-ons. All that was left was for Crystal Palace to agree to the terms and for Olise to do his medicals and he will become a Bayern Munich player. The versatile midfielder has been on the radar of top Premier League clubs since last season and it was expected he would move to Chelsea until last week. So how did we end up with the transfer to Germany?
Michael Olise signed for Crystal Palace in 2021 from Reading. His debut season wasn’t particularly exciting as he managed only two goals and five assists in the 2021/2022 season in 26 appearances. The left-footed midfielder’s performance in the 2022/2023 season is what really put him on the radar of big clubs as a transfer target. Olise notched 11 assists and two goals in 37 appearances in the Premier League that season. The performance caught Chelsea’s attention and the London club tried to sign him but the deal collapsed at the last minute. Chelsea were very close to signing the midfielder and had even agreed on personal terms with him last summer. They had also agreed to pay his then £35m release clause but the deal collapsed when Olise decided to sign a new contract to keep him at Crystal Palace.
In the just-concluded season, Olise managed 10 goals and six assists in just 19 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace despite suffering an injury in February that ruled him out of a considerable amount of games. His performance, effectiveness in attack, and set-piece ability intensified interest in him from Chelsea, Newcastle, and even Manchester United.
The Blues were again leading the race to sign Olise in this summer transfer window until last week when they suddenly pulled out of the deal. Fabrizio Romano reported that Chelsea decided to move on because they felt the deal was too expensive. Another factor that may have caused Chelsea to pull out was the sudden involvement of Bayern Munich who offered better terms than Chelsea and were able to agree on personal terms with the midfielder. After Bayern Munich entered the fray, Olise only wanted to join Vincent Kompany’s side. The prospect of playing Champions League football, leading the line alongside Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane, and being part of the Bayern Munich rebuild appealed to Olise more than what Chelsea had to offer.
Olise even rejected a new and improved contract from Crystal Palace to get him to stay. Newcastle never really got close to signing him while Manchester United never even made a bid for the player as they felt they were not in the financial position to pay the midfielder’s release clause.
As of this moment, Bayern Munich has already reached an agreement with the club and player. The contract will probably run till 2029. All that’s left is for Olise to do his medicals and the move will be finalized. How do you think the player will perform in the Bundesliga?