Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Ratcliffe in bits as Ornstein reveals ‘approved’ Man Utd target will brutally snub Old Trafford switch

Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is set to reject a move to Manchester United

Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is set to reject a move to Manchester United

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has big plans for the summer transfer window and signing a new winger is reportedly one of his priorities.

The recent performances of Antony and Marcus Rashford have left a lot to be desired and it’s thought that Erik ten Hag agrees that there needs to be more competition for the duo.

One player that Ratcliffe is very keen to bring to Old Trafford is Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. As exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk, the Ineos chief has made him one of his top targets.

The talented 22-year-old has struggled with injuries this term but has been excellent for the Eagles when fit, scoring six goals and making three appearances so far.

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Several sides are said to be interested in Olise. Chelsea activated a £35m release clause in Olise’s prior contract with Palace last summer. However, the forward elected to remain loyal to Palace and snubbed the move.

Olise then went on to pen fresh terms with Palace in a move that raised his release clause and reports suggest that the new clause is set at £60m.

Top Ratcliffe target tipped to snub Man Utd move

As noted by our friends over at Football365, Olise is Ratcliffe’s ‘only currently-approved summer target’ as Man Utd prepare to appoint a new director of football.

However, according to respected transfer journalist David Ornstein, the Palace winger is unlikely to join the Red Devils due to the fact that they won’t be competing in the Champions League next season.

Ten Hag’s team currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League table – 13 points adrift from fourth-placed Aston Villa.

“If Olise leaves Palace in the upcoming window I expect it would only be for a Champions League club and, even within that, one of the small number of most prominent of those,” Ornstein told The Athletic FC podcast. 

“He is said to be an intelligent/thoughtful player who knows exactly what level he can reach and will be clear in deciding if, when and where it is right for him to move.

“Like with his previous contract, there is thought to be a release clause in the fresh terms he signed after the Chelsea saga.

“So clubs will have a decent idea of what they need to do to get him. To my knowledge there have been no meaningful developments so far but obviously there’s a good chance that changes in the coming weeks and months.”

Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal could swoop in for Michael Olise

Arsenal are also looking to sign a new winger in the summer and another top transfer source – Fabrizio Romano – believes that they could join the race for Olise.

Unlike his other suitors Man Utd and Chelsea, they will be competing in the Champions League next season and no doubt competing for trophies, too.

“I expect there to be a big race for Michael Olise this summer,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column back in February.

“I think Manchester United could be there because they appreciate the player, of course we have to wait for the new director to come in to decide what’s the strategy, what’s the budget, how much they want to invest in that position.

“We know that Manchester United would also be busy for a centre-back, probably a left-back from what I’m told, and then a centre-striker, so they have some positions to cover, so let’s see how much of the budget they want to invest on a player like Michael Olise.

“Chelsea also had an interest in the past, so I think it’s going to be an interesting one for these two clubs and let’s see if someone else will move because maybe Arsenal can look for that kind of player. I think it’s still an open race, nothing is decided yet.”

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