Man Utd and Chelsea left red-faced by Michael Olise as £60m ace 'chooses next club'

Chelsea and Manchester United have reportedly fallen short in the race to sign Michael Olise, with the Crystal Palace winger now expected to join Bayern Munich. Olise is widely considered to be among the Premier League’s best young forwards but looks set to be playing in the Bundesliga next season.

The 22-year-old has chosen to sign for Bayern Munich despite being heavily pursued by United and Chelsea, according to The Athletic. The German giants are now expected to thrash out a deal that would see Olise, who has a £60million release clause, move to the Allianz Arena.

United were said to have had a strong interest in Olise but never followed up with any official bids. Chelsea, meanwhile, took things a step further by reaching out to Palace to discuss the financial aspects of bringing the Frenchman to Stamford Bridge.

Those in power at Chelsea eventually chose not to proceed after deciding the finances involved were beyond their reach. Palace were also said to have been approached by Newcastle, but the Magpies did not get as far as Chelsea in discussing a deal.

Olise’s decision to join Bayern Munich means that Chelsea, United and Newcastle will need to explore the market for alternative targets. The Blues are already stacked in the wide positions but new boss Enzo Maresca is reportedly keen to add further quality over the coming weeks.

A new striker is also believed to be high on Chelsea’s wishlist, with Aston Villa marksman Jhon Duran thought to be a player of significant interest. The 20-year-old scored five goals for Unai Emery’s side last season, helping them to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League table.

United, meanwhile, have also been tipped to sign at least one new forward with Erik ten Hag keen to improve his squad in three key areas.

Speaking in a press conference last month, the Dutchman said: “We need to get a striker in to work alongside Rasmus Hojlund. I also hope we manage to get another central midfielder and also a replacement for [Raphael] Varane.

“Then I think things will look very good for next season with the caveat that the players are fit and stay fit. Then you can start playing towards the top four with such an 11. That gives me hope and is also realistic in my eyes.”