Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is being linked with a summer move to Manchester United as potentially one of the first signings of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford.
A move for the tricky winger has been ruled out in January, but the Standard understands that the 22-year-old has been identified as a transfer target ahead of a planned overhaul of their squad at the end of the season.
While it’s always difficult to sign top players in January, Erik ten Hag must also wait until Ratcliffe’s investment is ratified by the Premier League. We know that the Glazer family won’t give him a big enough transfer kitty this month and we’ll be limited to loan deals.
Moreover, Olise signed a four-year contract at Palace in August but there’s a release clause that comes into effect in the summer. The size of that release clause is unknown but it’s likely to be significantly more than the £35m release that hung over his deal during his previous Palace contract.
The report adds: “Olise is viewed as a player who could help revitalise United’s woeful attack.”
Ten Hag will be looking for strikers and possibly new wingers this year after watching his side score just 22 goals in the Premier League this season. That’s fewer than every time except for bottom two Burnley and Sheffield United.
With Olise becoming a target for United, the Reds could say goodbye to Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial in the coming months. It is clear that this squad requires a shake up and Olise could provide a fresh creative spark.
The Palace star has five goals in seven Premier League starts since returning from a hamstring injury in November. He also scored an incredible injury-time free-kick against United in a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park last season.
We’ll keep an eye on these reports for the remainder of the season.
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