Michael Olise wants to leave Crystal Palace for Bayern Munich this summer – and the proposed transfer would come with an added bonus.
Olise has been courted by a host of Premier League sides, but the 22-year-old Frenchman has reportedly opted to join Bayern instead. The German giants have moved to the front of the queue despite interest from Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Palace value their star attacking midfielder at over £60million – a figure understood to have ultimately put off Chelsea, who might not have been in the running anyway. That’s because the release clause in Olise’s contract only applies to teams competing in the Champions League, a competition Chelsea haven’t qualified for.
If the move goes ahead, Olise will follow Harry Kane and Eric Dier in moving from London to Bavaria in the past year. As well as learning German and posing with pints of beer around Oktoberfest, joining Bayern comes with another unique proposition involving cars.
Bayern have been sponsored by German car manufacturer Audi since 2002, with the brand also owning 8.33 per cent of the club. The partnership means that all players are given a company car from Audi upon arrival – but there is a catch.
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In exchange for the free car, players have to drive it to training every day at the club’s Sabener Strasse training ground, as well as to matches and other club-related events. Kane, for example, chose a black Q8 e-tron after signing from Tottenham last summer.
“I've already tried [driving in Germany], but of course not with the new car,” Kane told BILD. “I'll slowly get used to the fact that the steering wheel is on the other side. So far I haven't had a crash, so that's a positive thing.”
Harry Kane was given a new Audi last summer upon arrival at Bayern Munich (CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)Kane opted for a model which starts at £58,000 while some of his team-mates drive the Audi RS e-tron GT, which is worth £120,000. Having a free car is certainly a perk of the job, but it has landed some Bayern stars in hot water in the past.
The rules are understood to allow players to drive Bentleys, Bugattis and Porches because they are part of the Volkswagen group, but there are punishments for promoting other brands. Kingsley Coman was reportedly fined £43,500 for driving his McLaren to training instead of his Audi, which he said had a broken wing mirror. Niklas Sule, Jerome Boateng and Philippe Coutinho have also reportedly been fined in the past for driving a different car into the training ground.
It is not something that is likely to be on Olise’s mind right now as he looks forward to a potential big-money transfer. He could be a key part of Bayern’s overhaul this summer since Vincent Kompany arrived as the new manager to replace Thomas Tuchel following a very rare trophyless season in 2023/24.
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