Arsenal are among the clubs interested in Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, and Champions League football gives them an edge.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Michael Olise of Palace looks on during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Michael Olise of Palace looks on during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Darren Lewis reports for the Mirror that Chelsea are planning a move for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise, but Arsenal are also among the clubs keen on the 22-year-old.

Lewis claims Arsenal and Chelsea join Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Liverpool in the race. Both the Gunners and Liverpool have an advantage, with Olise keen to play Champions League football.

Finishing second and third in the Premier League table, Arsenal and Liverpool will be participating in next season’s revamped Champions League competition.

By contrast, Manchester United will be playing in the Europa League, Chelsea will play Europa Conference League qualifiers in August, and Newcastle United have missed out on Europe entirely.

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND: Michael Olise of Crystal Palace in action during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace at American Express Community Stadium on March 15, 2023. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND: Michael Olise of Crystal Palace in action during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace at American Express Community Stadium on March 15, 2023. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Palace boss Oliver Glasner is reportedly confident Olise will stay with the club, but there’s evidently a lot of interest in the player this summer.

Olise had a mixed season with his current side, performing very well when available, but missing huge chunks of the campaign through injuries.

With 10 goals and six assists in 19 appearances, it’s hard to deny Olise’s quality when he was on the pitch. Managing a goal or assist in the Premier League every 80 minutes is very impressive.

But Olise was sidelined three times with hamstring injuries in 2023/24, hence why he played such limited minutes in the first place.

Crystal Palace's French midfielder Michael Olise (R) runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 19, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Crystal Palace’s French midfielder Michael Olise (R) runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 19, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The winger didn’t play his first game of the season until mid-November, then he missed almost all of January, before his third hamstring injury ruled him out from mid-February to early April.

Arsenal fans who only watch their own team’s games may not have seen much of Olise, as he’s missed four of the last five matches between the two clubs through injury.

Foot issues kept him out of both 2022 fixtures, and hamstring issues meant he missed both matches this season too. The only recent Arsenal fixture he played in was the 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium last March.

It would be an amusing quirk if after three seasons at Crystal Palace, Olise’s first Arsenal game at Selhurst Park was playing for the Gunners.