Liverpool
Premier League • England
Journalist states bizarre reason Liverpool can’t now sign best right winger in the world
Liverpool face major obstacles in Michael Olise pursuit
Liverpool hold interest in signing Michael Olise to complete an awe-inspiring front four, though a reporter has outlined a somewhat nonsensical reason why they can’t strike a deal.
Liverpool’s front four now contains three £100m-plus players in Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. The missing link is the right winger, and in that position there’s none better right now than Michael Olise.
Real Madrid had hoped to sign the France international over the summer, though Bayern Munich made it crystal clear both in private and public there’d be no negotiations for the 24-year-old.
Liverpool are also strong admirers of Olise, with that interest reaffirmed in an article posted on Christian Falk’s CFBayernInsider website.
On Friday, they wrote: ‘Liverpool’s interest in Michael Olise has been well-documented in recent times.’
However, when promoting this article on X, Falk rather rather curiously added the caption: ‘Liverpool may have now cost themselves Michael Olise transfer.’
Explaining why within the report, Falk pointed to Liverpool’s £123m move for Bradley Barcola.
Falk claimed Bayern had identified Barcola as the worthiest heir to Olise in the event he were sold this summer, or in a future window.
However, that claim makes little sense given Barcola is a right-footed left winger and Olise is a left-footed right winger. The pair do not play in the same position.
Liverpool can’t sign Michael Olise…?
Falk said: ‘With it now clear that Bradley Barcola had been identified as a potential successor for his international compatriot (if the need arose [at Bayern]), it would appear that the Reds have added some complexity to their potential future transfer strategy.
‘It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice that Andoni Iraola’s men failed to sign a natural right-sided winger. Victor Munoz looks well-suited to the position, but the likes of Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo and new boy Barcola are all naturally predisposed to playing on the left flank.
‘There’s an argument to be made that this may not particularly matter, given that Iraola will commit to rotating his options on either side to build familiarity.
‘But Liverpool would no doubt be open to the prospect of adding a player of Olise’s calibre if it meant fixing their right side for the foreseeable future.
‘But with Bradley Barcola now at Anfield, this may complicate matters if Bayern can’t find a suitable successor in the event their main man pushes for the exit door next summer.
‘[Liverpool] may yet have to hope that FC Bayern add a release clause to the Frenchman’s contract.’
MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON TEAMTALK…
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* Luis Enrique names winner of Bradley Barcola transfer to Liverpool from PSG
* Arsenal ‘formally’ seal 2027 signing with medical passed and Liverpool beaten – Fabrizio Romano
Olise is contracted in Munich until 2029 and per the reporter, Bayern plan to offer an extension that could contain a release clause to sweeten the deal from Olise’s perspective.
Of course, any such release clause would be set at an exceedingly high price.
Falk concluded: “I think Bayern Munich would be fine with a release clause as long as we’re discussing figures like €150m, €200m, or €250m.”