England show interest in France U21 international Michael Olise
Whilst Gareth Southgate has not called up Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise (22) for the upcoming Euro 2024 campaign, he did not rule out a future call-up. France are now under pressure to make a decision.
Thus far, Olise has only played for the France U21 side (seven appearances, one goal) and despite calls for Didier Deschamps to call up the Crystal Palace forward, he did not do so. Even in the event that Kingsley Coman pulls out of the squad through injury, as is a possibility, L’Équipe understands that it would be Moussa Diaby, not Olise, who would take his place.
In the immediate future, a call-up for Les Bleus looks unlikely, leaving the door open for England. Speaking on Wednesday, Southgate left that door ajar. “He would need to obtain an association transfer. This process would take a bit of time. He is clearly a very good player and he has been selected in the (France) squad, maybe they’ll take him to the Olympics, I don’t know,” said Southgate.
L’Équipe understands that Thierry Henry would like to call up Olise for the Olympics. However, the competition does not fall within the FIFA calendar and Crystal Palace could therefore refuse to allow their attacker to compete in the competition. With England sniffing, the pressure is now on France to make a decision.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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