Newcastle have next to no chance of beating Chelsea to the signature of Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.
Speaking to the Geordie Boot Boys website, Bailey said that the Frenchman is expected to favour a move to Stamford Bridge:
“Newcastle have always liked Michael Olise, but I do not see how they get him. I think Newcastle would need to be in Europe to persuade him given the other clubs that are interested.”
“He almost joined Chelsea last year, and his brother is currently there. Anyone that beats Chelsea to Olise will be doing really well. They are very much the favourites right now.”
3 clubs have been given permission to speak to Olise
It was reported last week that the Magpies, along with Bayern Munich and Chelsea, have the approval of Palace to hold talks with the player directly.
There was some surprise that Eddie Howe’s side were one of the teams involved, considering it will reportedly cost £60m to trigger Olise’s release clause. That fee is very steep for a club said to be needing to balance the books.
Are Newcastle considering bids for other wingers?
It is believed that the Magpies are also big fans of West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams but both are expected to cost as much as (if not more than) Olise.
Bowen is said to be valued at around £70m, while Williams has a release clause worth between £46m and £49m. It should be pointed out that the Spanish international is also attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal.
Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and Leeds’s Crysencio Summerville are thought to be more realistic transfer targets. The latter is said to be available for between £30m and £35m.
