Chelsea have made an offer to sign Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
And, facing competition from Manchester City for the player, they have indicated that they are prepared to go to £39 million for him, which is £4 million in excess of his release clause.
The 21 year old is reported to be tempted by the project which is being developed at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino but there is a potential hurdle.
Whilst on duty with the England under-21 squad last month, Olise suffered a knee injury which is likely to keep him out of the start of the season.
Now both clubs are waiting for clarification on his fitness situation before any deal can proceed.
Only three players made more assists in the Premier League last season – Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Leandro Trossard.
In April, he became the youngest player to provide three assists in one match in Palace’s 5 – 1 victory at Leeds.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.