Crystal Palace star Michael Olise has moved to Bayern Munich for a reported fee of more than £50m.
The France 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 25 more.
Thank you to everyone at @cpfc. Thankful for the journey that i went through as a player at this club and the love that everyone has shown me since day one. Thanks to all the staff, players and especially to all the fans that have supported me ill be forever 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 his debut eight months later and signing a three-year deal in July 2019.
He was crowned EFL Young Player of the Season in 2020/21 before making an £8m switch to Selhurst Park.
Chelsea and Newcastle were linked with the winger 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 the Bayern website: “The talks with FC Bayern were very positive, and I’m very happy to now be playing for such a big club.
“It’s a great challenge, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. I want to prove myself at this level and play my part in ensuring that we win as many titles as possible with our team in the coming years.”
Max Eberl, Bayern board member for sport said: “Michael is a player who can make the difference and attracted great interest with his style of play.
“We want new impetus in our team, new energy, new ideas – that’s what players like Michael stand for.
“During the talks, he quickly signalled that he really wanted to join FC Bayern. We’re very much looking forward to him. He will enrich our game.”
Sporting director Christoph Freund added: “Michael is quick, tricky, a goal threat and very versatile in attack. His goals and assists stats are already outstanding.
“At the age of 22, Michael is already very advanced, but is also hungry and still has a lot of potential. Fans come to the stadium to see players like him.”
It's been a pleasure, Michael ❤️💙
We can confirm that Michael Olise has completed a permanent transfer to Bayern Munich.
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) July 7, 2024
Chairman Steve Parish told the Palace website: “We are hugely proud of what Michael has achieved at Crystal Palace, a club where he has developed greatly as a player.
“We respect his desire to further test himself at the highest level of world football, and I would like to personally wish him the very best for his next adventure with Bayern Munich in Germany which I’m sure we will all follow closely.”
Olise is in the France squad to play in the Olympics in Paris starting later this month.
Bayern are also closing in on the capture of Fulham’s Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha in a deal worth £42m-plus.
