Michael Olise has been turning heads ahead of the World Cup, but despite repeated links to Liverpool, he is unlikely to be moving to Anfield. The French international, who scored a hat-trick for France against Northern Ireland, has been repeatedly mentioned as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
Several former Liverpool players, including Vladimir Smicer, Markus Babbel, John Aldridge, Jermaine Pennant, Peter Crouch, and Emile Heskey, have expressed their desire to see Olise join the Reds. However, their wishes are unlikely to be fulfilled this summer.
Bayern Munich's firm stance
Bayern Munich's president Herbert Hainer made it clear that Olise is not for sale. Speaking to Bild, Hainer stated: "Michael Olise is a Bayern Munich player who still has a long-term contract - and we are not a club that sells players." This response came after Real Madrid showed interest in the 24-year-old former Crystal Palace winger.
Olise has scored 42 goals in 107 appearances for Bayern across two seasons. His hat-trick in a pre-World Cup friendly against Northern Ireland further highlighted his importance to the team.
Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness was equally emphatic last month, saying: "Sell Michael Olise for €200 million? He won't be sold." Hoeness added: "We play this game for our fans. We have 430,000 members, we have millions of fans all over the world, and it doesn't help them much if we have €200 million in the bank but play worse football every Saturday because of it."
Liverpool's alternative targets
Given Bayern's determination to keep Olise, Liverpool have likely set their sights elsewhere. Yan Diomande, a 17-year-old winger from RB Leipzig, has emerged as a key target. Diomande scored 12 Bundesliga goals last season, just three fewer than Olise's 15.
A move for Diomande will be challenging but is considered far more realistic than signing Olise, given the player's age, current standing, and Liverpool's relationship with RB Leipzig.
France boss Didier Deschamps praised Olise after his hat-trick, saying: "He's been outstanding this season at Bayern, and with us too. He's brimming with confidence, he's so decisive." Standing out in a France team containing Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele is no small feat.
For now, Olise will remain as the one that got away for Liverpool, no matter how many former players wanted it to happen.
