Chelsea hijack £51.3m Man City’s bid for excellence Michael Olise replacement, compared to Eden Hazard

Chelsea are looking for a right-winger who can also play as an attacking midfielder but has less than two weeks to sign a contract

Chelsea still appear to be looking for a right winger who could also play as an attacking midfielder after Michael Olise turned down a move to Stamford Bridge. The 21-year-old playmaker has already been heavily linked with a move to west London and, at the height of interest from the Blues, decided to sign a new long-term contract at Crystal Palace.

football.london understand that Chelsea were once confident of securing Olise’s signature. After talks with those close to the France Under-21 international, the two sides verbally agreed on personal terms before paying his release clause.

Joe Shields is understood to have played a leading role in the negotiations, having recently played a key role in bringing Romeo Lavia to the Cobham training ground. However, despite the Blues’ best efforts, Palace capitalized on interest in Olise and tied him up in extra time at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea now have less than two weeks to sign an alternative and Mauricio Pochettino has a few names in his shortlist. football.london understands the club remain interested in Mohammed Kudus and Rayan Cherki, with Brennan Johnson a late goal.

However, according to French outlet L’Équipe, Chelsea are interested in Rennes’ Jeremy Doku. According to the report, Manchester City are currently leading the race for the 21-year-old winger, who has been identified by Pep Guardiola as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez. L’Équipe add that Rennes are reportedly ready to sell Doku this summer for around €60m (£51.4m). The Belgium international, whose contract at Roazhon Park expires in 2025, made 29 appearances for the French side in Ligue 1 last season, contributing directly to eight goals.

Doku started the new season in excellent form, scoring a goal against Metz on the opening weekend. His impressive performances and low center of gravity have earned him comparisons to Eden Hazard.

In a Facebook Live video with La Tribune for RTBF, former Premier League star Phillipe Albert explained why he would be a great addition to the English top flight. He said: “He has incredible qualities which were discovered at Anderlecht, but he has been injured a lot in the last two or three seasons.”

“He’s a young talent who left for over €20m (£17m), so Rennes would accept an offer of €60m (£51m). I think the walk is not too far away, he has the qualities to win.” Premier League or any World Cup.

“If he is 100% physically, he will assert himself and repel opponents. It’s a bit like Eden Hazard at the start of his career with his double, triple accelerations which can hurt a lot.” “In England some teams are still a little naive at this level so it would hurt. He can play both sides, but I always believe that a player has to play on the right foot, so I would put him on the right foot. The role. The job of a winger is also to take care of the striker. So if you have the right player, there is no better player at this level.”