Three alternatives INEOS could target instead of Michael Olise – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United have been heavily linked with a summer swoop for Crystal Palace’s French winger, Michael Olise.

On paper, the move looks smart. The 22-year-old is young and has the talent to be one of the stars of the Premier League. This is exactly the profile of player that INEOS are looking for as they aim to build the next stars instead of simply just purchasing them ready-made.

Olise has six goals to his name in this campaign and is also a very creative, versatile midfielder who can operate off the wing or through the middle.

Moreover, he is thought to have a release clause of around £55 million.

The winger is even said to be a Manchester United fan , so it really seems to be the perfect transfer and logical that he is reportedly the club’s “only approved” target for the summer, even with no sporting director yet in place as negotiations for Dan Ashworth rumble on in the background.

However, there is one pretty big catch. His injury record. The exciting attacker missed 13 matches last season with a hamstring injury and already has missed seven games this campaign due to the same medical issue.

The Crystal Palace boss, Oliver Glasner, has confirmed that the player is close to a return but his injury record could prove to be a stumbling block should a bigger club come calling this summer.

Therefore, it is perhaps prudent that United look elsewhere in case Olise cannot shake off his injury problems. Here are three suggestions the club could look into.

Nico Williams

The Spaniard is not as versatile as Olise and can only play off the wings. However, at 21 years old, he fits INEOS’ profile right down to a tee.

He is described as “a winger, especially on the left side, Nico utilizes his speed and dribbling skills to outmanoeuvre defenders, providing crosses and taking shots. He can also play on the right, cutting inside to unleash powerful shots with his dominant foot. Known for his involvement in team plays, he combines well with teammates, offering support and displaying versatility by changing positions with other attackers.”

His ability to link up and assist would stand in positive comparison to Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony’s shoot-first policy, even though United’s young Argentine is taking steps to improve this to his credit.

Williams is a goal threat but at the same time, is incredibly creative. He has six goals and 13 assists in 29 matches this season for Athletic Bilbao and only seems to be getting better.

As a result of his fine progress, the electric winger has become a mainstay in Spain’s national squad and will no doubt be a key man for his national team in the summer.

The winger has been linked with United in the past and with Real Madrid reportedly out of the picture, the path to the player is a bit clearer.

A drawback could certainly be the price as it was reported back in December that the player could cost up to €100m but this figure seems unrealistically high.

A bigger obstacle may be trying to prise a Basque player away from Bilbao, which is always tough. However, with the trajectory of the player, it certainly seems worth trying from United’s perspective.

Dani Olmo

The previous week has seen an increase in links to another Spaniard, Dani Olmo.

“Manchester United could look to sign RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Dani Olmo during the 2024 summer transfer window as an alternative to their current targets at Old Trafford, according to GIVEMESPORT sources”.

The Bundesliga player is perhaps a better like-for-like substitute for Olise as he can also operate from a more central area. However with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, fresh from his goal last night, currently in the squad, it may seem a little redundant to have yet another central attacking midfielder.

Olmo has a release clause of £52m and at 25 years old, has more experience to fall back on than either Olise or Williams.

He is also productive having scored seven goals and created another four in 20 games this season in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

The Spaniard is described as an “effective one-on-one dribbler”, who is a “composed finisher” and “benefits from making intelligent, delayed runs around a lone striker”.

However, his final ball is often criticised for needing more work and at 25, it is unclear whether this will ever improve.

Donyell Malen

The final alternative to Olise has been linked to Old Trafford much more frequently than the others in question.

When it was first rumoured that Jadon Sancho could be returning to Borussia Dortmund, numerous reports of swap deals with Malen moving the opposite side surfaced.

While these didn’t work out, rumours of a move to England for the Dutchman have not disappeared.

INEOS have apparently earmarked the player to strengthen the right wing and his price would be around €60m according to reports.

He has had a productive season to date with 13 goals and five assists in all competitions. At 25, like Olmo, he is experienced yet still has time to develop and improve as a player.

However, in a similar way to Olmo, the two players certainly do not have the growth potential or ceiling of players like Williams or Olise.

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