Manchester City and Arsenal set to do transfer battle for signature of 21-year-old PL star: Reports
According to Fichajes, Manchester City and Arsenal are set to battle it out for 21-year-old Premier League star Michael Olise in the summer. The youngster has impressed for Crystal Palace this season, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists in 39 matches across competitions this season.
The Frenchman is known for his vision and trickery. Olise's form has attracted the interest of several Premier League clubs. Daily Mail reported earlier that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have eyed up the player as a potential replacement for Lionel Messi.
Arsenal and Manchester City have now also joined the race. The Gunners are looking to improve their squad next season as they return to the UEFA Champions League. Olise could help add some much-needed depth to Mikel Arteta's team.
City coach Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, has a great reputation for developing youngsters into world-beaters.
Olise's current contract with Crystal Palace will end at the end of the 2025-26 season and his market value is around €27 million. The player could be on the move in the summer and join a bigger club for an estimated fee of €40 million, according to the aforementioned report.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacted to losing the Premier League title race to Manchester City
Arsenal lost the Premier League title to Manchester City despite leading the table for 248 days. The Gunners have won only two of their last eight league matches and the dismal run of form saw them slip up.
City, on the other hand, shifted gears at the business end of the campaign. Arteta reacted to his team's collapse and claimed that Pep Guardiola's side were deservingly crowned champions. He told Sky Sports:
“They deserve it as simple as that. 38 games - it doesn’t lie. We have some regrets against Liverpool, 2-0 up, West Ham and the penalty, against Southampton the mistakes that we made and it was 3-3."
He further added:
"Even if we had won all those games, it wasn’t enough. And this is the level. Everything has to be perfect, there are no margins for error."
Despite the Premier League slip-up, Arteta's team had a phenomenal campaign as few could have predicted them to finish second in the league this season. The Gunners can only improve moving forward.