Liverpool warned of ‘huge money’ to sign Slot’s primary 2026 target as Reds look to fade out legendary star

Liverpool have been told they will need to fork out a fee close to their transfer record if they want to prise Michael Olise to Anfield in 2026 amid suggestions Arne Slot has a plan in place to phase out Mo Salah before his numbers deteriorate.

The Premier League champions embarked on a record-breaking spending spree this summer, adding some £440m worth of talent to their ranks and in an effort to ensure Liverpool are well placed to defend their title. After Sunday’s last-gasp 1-0 win at Burnley on Sunday, four wins from four games suggest the Merseyside giants will once again be the team to beat.

Despite that historic €509m (€600m) spent on new players this summer, Slot and Co. are far from done with their Reds revolution and the Liverpool manager, alongside sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of football, Michael Edwards, is already drawing up plans for the next phase of their rebuild.

To that end, the next phase of Liverpool’s redevelopment will likely see the club target long-term heirs for talismanic stars Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk – both of whom signed contract extensions this summer to keep them at Anfield until 2027.

However, given the age of the pair – Van Dijk turned 34 over the summer, while Salah is now 33, the Reds know time is not on their side and that old father time will catch up with the pair eventually.

With an heir to Salah already in mind, reports over the last week have strongly linked Liverpool with a huge move in 2026 for Olise, with the France international taking his game on to another level since moving to Bayern Munich.

Confirming their interest as genuine, transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke has warned Liverpool they will be looking at another £100m-plus fee to lure him to Anfield.

“It’s more than just Liverpool who will be looking at Michael Olise – his career is just going up and up,” O’Rourke told the Inside Track podcast. “All top European clubs will be interested in Michael Olise; he’s not going to be easy to get out of Bayern, though.

“He’s under contract at the German club until 2029, and Bayern Munich won’t want to lose him. You’re talking huge money to get him out of there. You’d be looking at £100m for Bayern [to sell him].”

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Multiple sources confirm Liverpool want Olise

O’Rourke is not the only journalist confirming the Reds’ interest in the 10-times capped France international, with the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele also claiming the former Crystal Palace man has been slated as Salah’s long-term heir.

‘As for Michael Olise, I certainly cannot rule that one out,’ Steele wrote. ‘They want a long-term Mohamed Salah replacement in the next summer or ,two and the early noises are that Bayern Munich’s former Crystal Palace star Olise could be right at the top of their shopping list.

‘We can’t say too much more than that yet, but could be one to watch…’

According to German outlet Absolut Fussball, it would not be a big surprise to see Olise leave Bayern Munich if someone pays in the region of £129m for the former Crystal Palace man – a fee which would topple the cost on Isak were the Reds to sign him.

“Olise can continue to increase its market value, and next summer the World Championship is finally on the program,” they wrote.

“Will he be the “cash cow” of the Munich people?

“Offers in the amount of 150 or 160 million euros from clubs of the quality class Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City or Liverpool FC would then not be a big surprise.”

Olise left Crystal Palace for Bayern in a €60m transfer in summer 2024 and his impact in Bavaria has been immediate.

Having broken the 20 barrier for both goals and assists (23 goals, 20 assists) across all competitions in his debut season, he’s also started the new campaign in fine form too, racking up five-goal contributions in as many games so far; form that underlines him as one of the world’s elite right-sided attackers these days.

Liverpool latest: Isak debut warning; Chiesa ‘a prisoner’; £60m star linked

Meanwhile, Slot has warned Liverpool fans it will be some time before British record signing Alexander Isak is ready for a full debut, while also addressing fears Alexis Mac Allister faces a spell on the sidelines through injury.

Elsewhere, a remarkable report described Federico Chiesa as a ‘prisoner’ at Anfield, while other sources have adopted the polar opposite view.

And finally, Liverpool have been encouraged that a deal to sign an ‘unflappable’ Premier League midfielder is on the cards amid claims of a 40% cut to his asking price, though TEAMtalk can analyse whether his signing would be a smart move.

How Olise compares to Salah last season