The future of Reading midfielder Michael Olise is going to be somewhat 'up in the air' heading towards the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old French international has caught the eye with a number of impressive displays for the Berkshire-based side in the last couple of years.

Olise has been a regular in the senior side in the 2020/21 season, and it's safe to say that he's played a key role in their strong start to this year's campaign.

Reading FC's supporters have had to endure a tough few seasons in the Championship, with the Royals struggling to mount a serious push for promotion since being relegated from the Premier League. In fact, Reading have been struggling at the wrong end of the second-tier standings for a number of seasons now.

But their fortunes seem to have changed this season under the management of Veljko Paunovic, with the newly-appointed Royals boss guiding his side to the top of the Championship table.

Reading are three points clear with a game in hand on second-placed Swansea City, and will be hoping they can pick up another three points in the near future.

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Olise has made ten appearances for Reading in all competitions this season, and has chipped in with two goals and three assists for Paunovic's men.

His strong showings this term evidently haven't gone unnoticed with the likes of Leeds, Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund being just some of the teams reportedly eyeing a move for the young midfielder in the coming months.

Olise has 18 months left to run on his current contract, and you would imagine that Reading will be looking at trying to tie him down to a new deal at the Madejski Stadium at the earliest of opportunities.

Football Insider have recently reported that Olise has a release clause of £8million, which (if true) is likely to see other clubs push ahead with their interest in his services.

That reported release clause might come as a surprise to many Reading supporters, with Olise displaying similar qualities to that of former Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham, who completed a move to German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window for a fee in the region of £25million.

Reading are going to be reluctant to accept any offers for Olise, as the Royals have already shown that they're keen to keep hold of their best players, after knocking back offers from Sheffield United for John Swift earlier this year.

Paunovic's side are in a strong position as well this season in the Championship, so it seems even more unlikely that they'll consider any offers for Olise in the January transfer window.

But if for some reason they are keen to cash-in on him at this stage of his career, then they'll be looking to get him tied down to a new deal first so that the reported release clause of £8million is removed from his contract, as he is far too good of a player to lose for that amount anytime soon.

It would be a real statement of intent by the Royals if they were to tie Olise down to a new contract, and he'll be hoping he can continue to build on these impressive performances as the season progresses, starting with a positive result against Preston North End at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday evening.