The Red Devils might not trigger his release clause after all (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United will try to avoid paying Michael Olise’s release clause in full by offering a player to Crystal Palace in part exchange, according to reports.
The Red Devils are set for a low-key January window, mainly focusing on outgoings, before Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new recruitment team take charge of transfers ahead of the summer.
One player who has already been identified as a future target is Palace winger Olise, with a buyout clause in his contract becoming active at the end of the season.
It is unclear at this stage what the release clause amounts to, but it is certainly more than the £35million buyout that existed in his previous deal before he penned fresh terms last summer.
While United would be prepared to pay the release clause, the Daily Star are reporting that the club will only do so as a last resort and are exploring ways to lower the cash value of the deal.
One potential option would be to include ex-Eagles star Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a player-plus-cash swap deal.
Palace have held talks previously about re-signing their former right-back, though have been put off by United’s demands.
Wan-Bissaka could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Olise (Picture: Getty)
The situation has changed somewhat, however, with United having triggered a one-year extension option in Wan-Bissaka’s contract last month.
He was due to be out of contract in the summer, when he could have left Old Trafford on a free transfer, but is now tied to the club until the summer of 2025.
Not only does that stop Palace from trying to sign the 26-year-old on a free transfer, as they were considering doing, but it also allows United to use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations for Olise.
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United will still need to stump up a fairly sizeable cash sum, but it could give them an advantage over rival suitors for Olise if Wan-Bissaka is included in the deal.
It is unclear if the defender would be open to a return to Selhurst Park, particularly after working his way back into Erik ten Hag’s plans.
At one point Wan-Bissaka looked as though he would be surplus to requirements under the Dutchman, but he has become an important part of the back-line and would have made far more than his 11 appearances in the Premier League this season but for injury.
Olise, meanwhile, bagged four goals and an assist in his last four league outings after returning from a hamstring injury but is not expected to play again until February after suffering another hamstring issue late on against Brentford.
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The Red Devils might not trigger his release clause after all.
