Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Premier League
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard (Picture: Getty)
Steven Gerrard has named Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise as his dream transfer target to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
Last month, Salah confirmed his decision to end his nine-year stint with Liverpool, with the Egyptian set to leave Anfield on a free transfer this summer.
The 33-year-old has been a stalwart for the Reds for nearly a decade, and leaves the Merseyside club with a huge hole to fill on their right wing.
Reports in France suggested that Liverpool have put Olise at the top of their shortlist to replace Salah, with Arsenal also interested in a move for the 24-year-old.
Olise is enjoying a remarkable season at Bayern, registering 16 goals and 28 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.
And Gerrard said the winger, who joined Bayern in a £50 million deal from Crystal Palace in 2024, may be one of the few ‘like-for-like’ replacements for Salah in the transfer market this summer.
‘I think the concern, if you’re trying to replace Salah, in terms of like-for-like, I think there are very few out there that you can go and grab,’ Gerrard told talkSPORT Breakfast.
Atalanta BC v Bayern Munchen - UEFA Champions League
Michael Olise has enjoyed a superb season at Bayern (Picture: Getty)
‘Olise would be one, I would say, but I don’t think he’d be available. But from experience, being around Liverpool as a player, and also since I’ve left, Liverpool’s recruitment team will have different options, and that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll look for a like-for-like.
‘When we had to replace Mané, for example, we went for Diaz, who’s slightly different, if you like, or when Suarez has left, they’ve had different types of options to try and replace the players.
‘But Liverpool have got a fantastic record of replacing top players that have gone before, so I’ve got every confidence from a recruitment point of view that they’ll have different types of options, not necessarily a like-for-like, but one thing is for certain, they have to try and replace some kind of goal involvement in terms of goals and assists, which is extremely difficult, because they’ve been incredible for Liverpool for many years.’
Manchester City v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season (Picture: Getty)
While Liverpool may hold an interest in signing Olise, Bayern chiefs have sought to dismiss any speculation linking the Frenchman with a move in the summer.
‘If that’s true… I don’t believe it is, but Liverpool spent 500 million this year and are having a very bad season. So we won’t be contributing to them playing better next year,’ honorary president Uli Hoeness said last month.
‘We play this game for our fans. We have 430,000 members, we have many millions of fans around the world, and it does them little good if we have 200 million in the bank and play worse football every Saturday because of it.’
Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl also dismissed the prospect of Olise leaving the club at the end of the season.
‘Michael has a contract with us until 2029, without a release clause – we’re relaxed,’ Eberl told Sport Bild.
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