Bayern Munich are closing in on the signing of Michael Oliseh after Chelsea once again admitted failing to sign the Crystal Palace forward. Oliseh is believed to have agreed personal terms with Bayern, who are expected to pay his release clause of around £55m.
Chelsea made another approach for the France Under-21 international last week, despite the international rejecting a move to Stamford Bridge last summer in favour of signing a new contract with Palace, but although it had initially been backed by Oliseh’s desire to return to the club where he spent seven years as a youth player, Chelsea are believed to have withdrawn from the race due to concerns about how much it would cost to complete the move.
The theory that non-Champions League clubs have higher clauses means the 22-year-old could face a transfer fee of more than £60 million, with Enzo Maresca’s side competing in the Europa Conference League next season. Oliseh’s former club Reading are also expected to receive a significant fee from the move.
Oliseh is believed to have already agreed a contract with Bayern on a salary of around £200,000 a week. Bayern officials have a good relationship with Palace chairman Steve Parish. Palace signed American defender Chris Richards from Bayern in 2022 but rejected an offer for manager Oliver Glasner at the end of last season, who made an immediate impact in south London. Bayern then appointed Vincent Kompany as Thomas Tuchel’s successor.
Newcastle had also sought permission to negotiate with Oliseh, who scored 10 goals in 19 appearances last season and emerged as one of the Premier League’s most promising young players. Manchester City and Manchester United had previously shown interest over the years but were unable to reciprocate, and Oliseh is now set to join Bayern Munich alongside former Chelsea academy team-mate Jamal Musiala.
He joined up with Thierry Henry’s France squad this week as they prepare for next month’s Olympics.
Everton Manchester City’s first signing of the summer was the signing of Tim Iloegbunam from Aston Villa on a three-year contract. The 20-year-old central midfielder, who will reportedly cost £9 million, is a former England Under-19 European Championship winner in 2022 and a former Under-20 cap.
“I’m very happy. Everton is a great club, a big club. I’m really happy to be joining and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running,” Iloegbunam told the club’s website. “I didn’t want to miss out on this move, I wanted to grab this opportunity. It was very important for me to seal the move quickly, it means I can be settled from day one and have the chance to make a good impression from the start of pre-season.”
Chelsea Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal to sign teenage forward Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa for around £19m. The 18-year-old Kellyman is rated as a promising player at Villa Park and has been in talks with both clubs over the signings of Ian Maatsen, John Duran and Conor Gallagher. Chelsea and Netherlands left-back Maatsen is close to a £37.5m move to Villa, who are also interested in Gallagher.
Chelsea’s pursuit of 20-year-old forward Duran has stalled but they are making progress on the Kerryman, with the attacker needing to undergo a medical and agree personal terms before travelling to Stamford Bridge.
