Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Reading starlet Michael Olise after some exciting contractual news emerged.
According to Football Insider, the Gunners target has an £8m release clause in his Reading contract, which could establish a preferred price point for the Royals in negotiations.
The French-born 18-year-old has been vital to Reading’s recent form, with the attacking midfielder scoring two goals and supplying three assists in his first nine appearances for the Royals in the 2020/21 Championship. Indeed, he has been hailed as “fearless” and “a real talent” by Madejski Stadium team-mate Sam Baldock.
He is duly attracting interest from Arsenal, although TEAMtalk previously revealed that a number of English giants, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Wolves, Everton and Leeds, have all scouted the player.
According to Football Insider, Leeds are especially keen on signing a young midfielder, having failed to secure Michael Cuisance in the summer window. The Whites are consequentially poised to recruit again in 2021, although the Gunners remain interested along with other suitors.
Interest in Olise isn’t confined to just England, either – clubs such as Napoli, Monaco and Borussia Dortmund are also keen on securing his services.
Olise spent time with Chelsea during his youth career and he also represented Manchester City before moving to Reading in 2016. He ultimately ended up signing a professional contract with the Royals in July 2019.
Olise has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract and the Royals may look to cash in soon rather than lose their hot prospect for free over the summer.
Read Arsenal Verdict
Investing in youth is rarely a bad thing and signing the French youth international would be a real statement of intent by Arteta’s side.
Competition for places would be fierce, however, so a clear pathway to first team action may have to be developed in order to convince the youngster that he could see regular action if he moves to Arsenal.
Regardless, working under Arteta may prove to be attractive as the Gunners have a tendency to favour youth academy products. Players such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka featured in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the weekend, so that may encourage Olise to favour Arsenal over his many other suitors.
