Marcel Brands can solve Carlo Ancelotti’s crisis with a swoop for Michael Olise amid rumours Reading may have to sell the forward Everton admire.

What’s the word?

According to The Reading Chronicle, the Royals are striving to offload a string of players in the upcoming winter market as they work toward raising as much as possible to strengthen Veljko Paunovic’s promotion-chasing side.

Financial Fair Play concerns have hit the Play-Off contending outfit hard, with Reading only able to make January signings on loan or for minimal fees despite Renhe Sports Management wishing to inject further funds into the fourth-placed club.

The EFL are in discussions over scrapping FFP but Reading are considering the possibility of selling some of their hot prospects, with Omar Richards and Olise two potential options.

Olise has earned vast admirers with his performances for Reading of late with Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund mentioned, while previous reports have placed Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City on the scene alongside Arsenal, Wolves and Leeds United.

Reading would value Olise at around £20million if they were to sell the 18-year-old who has started 11 of his 15 Championship appearances this season, providing two goals and five assists from a versatile forward role.

Ancelotti’s answer?

Everton Director of Football Brands moving to sign Olise in January would solve Ancelotti’s offensive crisis, having deemed it “impossible” to replace Richarlison with a like-for-like option among those already at Goodison Park.

Olise has shown this season how he can offer a threat at the top of the pitch but without being pigeonholed into a set role, with Reading boss Paunovic deploying the teen star at right-wing on six occasions, on the left five times and in an attacking midfield role twice.

The France U18 international has met his rotating role with no issue, too, having struck home goals from either flank and offering assists in every position played this term.

His ability to play a central midfield role will also stand out to Ancelotti as Everton have struggled to create chances from the engine room this season, with Abdoulaye Doucoure the leading figure for key passes (nine) but having only created the same number of big chances as Tom Davies, Alex Iwobi and Gylfi Sigurdsson (one) and boasting just one assist, per SofaScore.

Former Reading boss Mark Bowen was full of praise for Olise and his potential when the 18-year-old broke through at the Madejski Stadium last term, as well, noting: “He is such a talented player and he can do anything in his career.

“Michael is a massively talented player. I said to him at the final whistle: ‘I know I can trust you now’, because of the shift of work he put in. Defensively, he showed he was years ahead of his time.”

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