Chelsea are reportedly pushing to complete the £45m signing of Crystal Palace midfielder Michael Olise.
The Blues have endured a highly-eventful summer transfer window, parting aways with more than a dozen players and acquire a number of younger replacements.
If reports are to be believed, Chelsea will complete the £115m addition of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo at some point on Monday.
Shelling out that amount of money on one player at a time when it has been known that Chelsea need to make cutbacks to fulfil FFP criteria is expected to lead to the spending of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital coming under scrutiny.
Nevertheless, the owners of the West Londoners allegedly have little intention of easing back on their efforts to make noteworthy acquisitions before the end of the month.
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Olise has been linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge for a number of weeks, partly due to a reported £35m release clause that is present in his contract.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson has publicly acknowledged that the Eagles face a fight to retain the services of the France Under-21 international, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
However, according to the Evening Standard, Chelsea are hopeful that they will be able to negotiate a £45m deal for the playmaker.
With a willingness to pay more than Olise's release clause, the assumption is that Chelsea will look to pay any fee in instalments in order to aid their efforts with FFP.
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The former Reading youngster is said to favour a switch to Chelsea and is seemingly close to agreeing personal terms ahead of a likely transfer.
Olise enjoyed a standout campaign in the Premier League during 2022-23, contributing two goals and 11 assists during his 37 appearances in the top flight.
Chelsea and Palace have recently been in discussions over a loan switch for Lewis Hall, who is expected to be confirmed as a Palace player in the coming days.
Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is also being linked with a move to Chelsea, although it is unclear Boehly and Clearlake Capital will progress with deals for all three of the aforementioned players.
Darren Plant
