Chelsea insist their approach for Michael Olise has been above board, following reports that Crystal Palace are unhappy over concerns the winger may have been “tapped up”.
Olise is closing in on a move to Chelsea after the Blues activated his release clause with an offer of around £35million. Crystal Palace declined to comment on the reports regarding their rumoured frustrations over the deal when contacted by Standard Sport.
Chelsea are also finalising a move for Romeo Lavia after agreeing a £53m deal, plus £5m in add-ons, for the Southampton midfielder.
Olise is expected to be out until at least the end of September with a hamstring injury, and the 21-year-old’s move will depend on him passing a medical.
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His arrival would give boss Mauricio Pochettino more attacking options in midfield and see him compete with Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk in wide positions.
Chelsea’s moves for Olise and Lavia follow their British-record £115m transfer of Moises Caicedo from Brighton earlier this week.
Signing Olise and Lavia would take Chelsea’s spending under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake to beyond £1billion and they are preparing for a player exodus in the final weeks of the transfer window in a bid to balance the books and ensure they remain compliant with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
