New Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward at Anfield
Liverpool are plotting an audacious move to sign Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, according to SportBild, with an update on the release clause he wants to be inserted into his contract.
Liverpool lost some key players from recent years over the summer transfer window, including Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate.
You could argue that the early signs are promising that Jeremy Jacquet will be a more than adequate replacement for the latter, but question marks remain over Milos Kerkez's long-term future at the club at left-back.
Meanwhile, the Reds did complete the big-money transfer of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window, but the France international usually prefers to play from the left, while Salah's success at Anfield came from the opposite flank.
It would be no surprise to see Liverpool try and sign a right-sided forward in 2027, especially given they were heavily linked with moves for Premier League duo Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh at the end of the window, despite the decision to keep Cody Gakpo on Merseyside rather than letting him join Manchester City.
Sarr and Minteh were both keen to join the 2025 Premier League champions in the summer, and the latter remains keen to seal a switch to Anfield in the future.
||
Julian Ward's Liverpool Signings
Player
Luis Diaz
Darwin Nunez
Cody Gakpo
Fabio Carvalho
Calvin Ramsay
Ben Gannon-Doak
Alexis Mac Allister
However, new Reds sporting director Julian Ward looks like he could be aiming even higher if reports from Germany and SportBild are to be believed, given their interest in Olise.
Liverpool have been linked with the winger in the past and he remains on their radar ahead of 2027, with the club showing they aren't afraid to spend more than £100m on the right player after the additions of Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak in recent seasons.
Olise Makes Release Clause Stance Clear
REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
According to the report, Bayern are set to begin initial new contract talks with Olise in the coming weeks, once the future of teammate Harry Kane is sorted.
The Bundesliga champions are expecting negotiations to be intense however, even though they are willing to make the 24-year-old one of their highest-earning players, if he commits his future to the club until 2032.
However, sources close to the attacker are said to want a release clause inserted into the deal, similar to the one that allowed Bayern to prise him away from Crystal Palace in the first place.
||
Michael Olise's Bayern Munich Record
Appearances
Starts
Goals
Assists
Bayern don't want to agree to that though, as they either look to keep their best players at the Allianz Arena, or achieve the biggest fees possible if they do sell to their European rivals.
What is clear is that if Julian Ward is able to pull off a move to bring Olise to Liverpool in the next couple of years, it would be a masterstroke.
The France international was described as the best player in the world by former Bayern and France full-back Willy Sagnol in the summer, with the 49-year-old claiming he should win the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
Olise is the best [player] in the world, far ahead of all other players. If he doesn't win the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year, something is seriously wrong with football.
France's failure to win the 2026 World Cup has probably put paid to Olise's chances of winning it this year, with teammate Kane and Lamine Yamal among those more fancied than him for the award right now.
But the 24-year-old is on course to win it in the future if he can maintain his current form for Bayern, which has been unbelievable since he swapped Selhurst Park for the Allianz Arena.
If Liverpool could have Barcola on one flank and Olise on the other, with Isak or Hugo Ekitike through the middle, they would have a frontline that would be feared by defences all across Europe.
Should contract negotiations between the France international and Bayern break down in the coming months, we'll see just how good Ward is.
Andoni Iraola (Liverpool)
Andoni Iraola (Liverpool)