Crystal Palace star Michael Olise has moved to Bayern Munich for a reported fee of over £50m.
The French under-21 international – who was born in London to a French-Algerian mother – made 90 appearances for the Eagles after joining from Reading in 2021, scoring 16 goals and assisting a further 25.
Thanks to everyone @cpfc. Thank you for the journey I have been through as a player at this club and the love everyone has shown me since day one. Thank you to all the staff, players and especially to all the fans who supported me, I will always be grateful❤️💙
— Michael Olise (@MichaelOlise10) July 7, 2024
The 22-year-old had youth spells with Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City before joining the Royals Academy in 2018, making his debut eight months later and signing a three-year deal in July 2019.
He was crowned EFL Young Player of the Season for 2020/21 before moving to Selhurst Park for £8m.
Chelsea and Newcastle have been linked with the defender this summer but he has opted to move to Germany on a five-year deal and will play under new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany.
🔴 FC Bayern nimmt Michael Olise unter Vertrag ⚪
🤝🔗 https://t.co/HbGdvnjBoS#FCBayern #MiaSanMia #ServusMichael pic.twitter.com/uUE18QQPOw
– FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) July 7, 2024
Olise told Bayern’s website: “The talks with FC Bayern were very exciting, and I’m very happy to play for such a big club.
“It’s a big challenge, and that’s exactly what I wanted. I want to prove myself at this level and play my part in making sure we win more titles with our team in the years to come.”
Max Eberl, Bayern’s board member for sports said: “Michael is a player who can make a difference and attracts a lot of interest with the way he plays.
“We want new energy in our team, new energy, new ideas – that’s what players like Michael represent.
“During the negotiations, he quickly signed that he really wanted to join FC Bayern. We are looking forward to him. He will enrich our game.”
Sporting director Christoph Freund added: “Michael is quick, tricky, a goal threat and attacks in many ways. His goals and assist stats are already impressive.
“At 22 years old, Michael has improved a lot, but he’s also hungry and has a lot of energy. The fans come to the stadium to see players like him.”
It was a pleasure, Michael ❤️💙
We can confirm that Michael Olise has completed a permanent transfer to Bayern Munich.
– Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) July 7, 2024
Chairman Steve Parish told Palace’s website: “We are very proud of what Michael has achieved at Crystal Palace, a club where he has developed tremendously as a player.
“We respect his desire to continue training at the highest levels of world football, and I would like to wish him the best in his next move with Bayern Munich in Germany, which I am sure we will all follow closely.”
Olise is on the French team that will play in the Olympics in Paris starting later this month.
Bayern are also closing in on a move for Fulham’s Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha in a £42m-plus deal.
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