Crystal Palace midfielder Michael Olise turned down a move to Chelsea in favor of Bayern Munich due to the allure of Champions League football, reports say.
Last summer, Chelsea attempted to sign Olise by triggering a £35 million release clause in his Crystal Palace contract.
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However, Olise chose to stay at Selhurst Park for another season. Chelsea remained interested and renewed their efforts to sign him this month.
With Palace’s permission, Chelsea were prepared to activate Olise’s increased release clause of £60 million, following his new contract signed last August.
Despite this, Olise rejected Chelsea’s approach once again, along with a late bid from Manchester United, to join Bayern.
According to The Telegraph, Olise was convinced by Bayern’s new head coach, Vincent Kompany, who replaced Thomas Tuchel last month.
The prospect of playing in the Champions League was a significant factor in Olise’s decision, a competition that neither Chelsea nor United can currently offer.
Kompany’s vision for enhancing Bayern’s style of play also played a crucial role in Olise’s decision. Meanwhile, former Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose claims that the club has already identified a replacement for Olise.
‘I have reached out to one of my sources at Crystal Palace,’ Ambrose told talkSPORT at the weekend.
‘They said the club has a replacement in mind who potentially can be better than Olise in the long-run.’
