Chelsea given boost as transfer target 'put off' by move to Manchester United

Chelsea have received some good news regarding one of their targets in the January transfer window - according to former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie, Michael Olise 'does not want' to join Manchester United, effectively ruling the Red Devils out of the race to acquire his signature.

Despite this, McAvennie isn't sure that the former France U21s star is ready to join a club of Chelsea's size, saying 'no disrespect to Olise, but he’s not a top player.' This season, Olise has made nine Premier League appearances, scoring five goals and registering a single assist along the way.

Blues owner Todd Boehly has made his intentions to sign all of the best young players from across the globe well-known - at the age of 22, Olise certainly fits into this category.

He spent time in Chelsea's youth academy as a youngster between the years of 2009 and 2016 - he also featured for Arsenal and Manchester City as a teenager, before ultimately settling at Reading, for whom he made his senior debut. In 2021, he joined Crystal Palace for a fee of around £8 million.

What did Frank McAvennie say about Michael Olise's transfer intentions?

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said: "Players do not want to go to Man United, and neither will he. No disrespect to Olise, but he’s not a top player. Not yet. They’re just trying to pick everyone in world football at the moment. Players go there and get lost, and this boy at Crystal Palace won’t want to go there. It’s a strange place.

"It’s Man United we’re talking about, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we’re talking about people not wanting to go. They have to get to the root and get rid of all the players who aren’t interested. But for Olise, he’d be better off somewhere else."