Chelsea are ready to rival Manchester United and several other clubs to sign Michael Olise after making contact with Crystal Palace to explore a deal for the winger, a source has told ESPN.
The 22-year-old has also attracted interest from Newcastle and Bayern Munich but United were considered the frontrunners for his signature should he leave Palace this summer.
However, Chelsea are intent on pursuing a move for Olise and have sounded out their London rivals in a bid to avoid the confusion of last August when Chelsea thought they had triggered the player's £35 million ($44m) release clause only for the deal to collapse as he signed a new contract with Palace.
That new deal contains a fresh release clause worth between £50m and £60m but there is some uncertainty over whether it only applies to clubs in the Champions League.
A source has said Chelsea's enquiry centres on trying to clarify the exact situation given they only qualified for next season's Europa Conference League.
United would also be affected given their FA Cup win only secured entry into the Europa League.
Palace are reluctant to lose Olise but there is an acknowledgment they are unlikely to keep him, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi this summer given widespread interest in all three players.