Guardiola red-faced as Man City target offered mega-money deal; PL club ‘confident’ of keeping player
Man City linked Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise
Crystal Palace have reportedly offered Michael Olise a lucrative new contract, amid reports suggesting a move to Manchester City is ‘close.’
Pep Guardiola allegedly sees the 21-year-old as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who joined Saudi club Al-Ahli on a £30m deal on Saturday.
Mahrez was sensational at the Etihad since arriving from Leicester in 2018, so Olise will have a big task on his hands if he does join Man City this summer.
Olise signed for Crystal Palace from Reading in 2021. He has since made 71 appearances across all competitions, scoring six goals and making 19 assists in the process.
He certainly has the potential to become a top player. As reported by TEAMtalk, he has a £35m release clause in his current contract, which Man City are tempted to trigger.
However, if Olise pens a new deal with Crystal Palace, that opportunity will be gone. With that in mind, the Cityzens will have to move quickly if they want to get their man.
Crystal Palace ‘confident’ of keeping Olise
According to Football Insider, Crystal Palace are planning to offer Olise a new contract worth over £100,000-per-week. This is a significant increase on his current wage of £47,500-per-week.
This would make him the club’s highest-earning player, overtaking Odsonne Edouard who currently earns a weekly wage of £95,000.
The report claims that the Eagles are ‘confident’ of retaining the services of the winger despite being aware of the interest from Man City.
Roy Hodgson has already lost one key player in Wilfried Zaha this summer so it’s no surprise they want to avoid a similar situation with Olise.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Crystal Palace can convince Olise to commit his long-term future to the London club. If they don’t, Man City are poised to swoop in for his signature.
Meanwhile, the Cityzens are currently working hard on completing other deals before the start of the season.
Another of Guardiola’s key targets is Josko Gvardiol. The RB Leipzig centre-back has already given the green light on a switch to the Etihad but an agreement on a transfer fee is yet to be reached.
The German club value Gvardiol at approximately £86m, but Man City are only willing to pay £77m at this stage. Whether or not they decide to match Leipzig’s valuation remains to be seen.
