Salah replacement at Liverpool backed to ‘win next Ballon d’Or’ as Slot plans record-breaking bid

A winger that Liverpool are ready to spend big on and replace Mohamed Salah with produced a sensational performance in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, leading a German source to back him to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or and amid strong reports that Reds manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes are contemplating a massive bid.

Mo Salah is a Liverpool legend and signed a new contract in April 2025 to extend his stay at Anfield until the summer of 2027. The ‘Egyptian King’ has scored 248 goals and given 116 assists in 410 appearances for Liverpool so far in his career, winning the Premier League title twice, the FA Cup once and the Champions League on one occasion.

However, Salah is 33 now, and Liverpool need to look ahead and plan for a winger who can replace the former Chelsea star on the right wing.

Michael Olise has emerged as a top candidate for Liverpool in terms of replacing Mo Salah, with The Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele reporting on September 4 that the Bayern Munich star is on the Reds’ radar, with reporter Alan Nixon subsequently also making the same claim.

Over in the German media, Bild journalist Christian Falk has since backed those reports, with the German reporter revealing that Bayern will demand over €100million (£87m, $117m) for Olise, with Manchester City also keen on the 23-year-old France international winger.

Falk has also tipped Olise to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or following his sensational performance for Bayern against Pafos away from home at the Alphamega Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Olise, who joined Bayern from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2024, started on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation and gave two assists and scored one goal, as the German giants won 5-1.

Falk gave Olise 9 out of 10 in his Players Ratings on CF Bayern Insider and wrote: “The Frenchman could win the next Ballon d’Or if he keeps on playing like this. Another outstanding performance from him, as he managed two assists and a goal.”

Olise played for 73 minutes, during which time he took four shots and made four key passes, according to WhoScored.

The winger also had a pass accuracy of 82.6%, won one header, took 66 touches, won two dribbles, made one interception, and put in one cross.

ICYMI 🔴 Major Liverpool signing ‘lost’ and ‘gone backwards’ as Real Madrid vindicated in denying Xabi Alonso ‘request’

Liverpool plan record-breaking Michael Olise bid

Falk was not the only German source that raved about Olise, with Bavarian Football Works describing him as the ‘Meister of the Match’.

The news outlet noted: ‘It goes without saying that Michael Olise, along with Harry Kane, is among the best signings Bayern have made in recent years.

‘The Frenchman puts up an outstanding performance nearly every weekend. The control he has on and off the ball, the sheer skill and the intelligence he has are further boosted by his hunger for goals and his relentlessness on the pitch.

‘Not a single moment goes by where he isn’t actively pursuing a goal — in fact, he was involved in four out of the five goals Bayern scored.

‘Take Kane’s first goal — it was an Olise assist that led to the goal. The winger was nothing short of phenomenal in that moment.

‘Following that, in the second goal scored by Rapha, it was Olise who first passed to Rapha, before Jackson got a touch on the ball and assisted the Portuguese.

‘And Jackson’s goal that was the result of an assist from Olise. For his relentless pursuits, the winger was finally rewarded with a goal in the 68th minute, right before he was substituted.

‘The stat sheet may only record his two assists and one goal, but the fact is that Olise was far more omnipresent than that.

‘With time, it is clear that Olise too, like Kane, has records to make and break. And that time is coming sooner rather than later.’

Michael Olise doing Michael Olise things! 💫 pic.twitter.com/Jvucm9gPjA

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) September 30, 2025

As Olise continues to shine, Bild has reported that Liverpool are ‘more than willing’ to pay €100 million (£87m/$117m) next summer.

Chelsea, Man City and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be ready to pay that massive fee, which would make Olise Bayern’s most expensive ever sale.

Matthijs de Ligt is Bayern’s most expensive ever departure for €45m (£39m, $53m), the fee that Man Utd paid to sign the Netherlands international defender in 2024.

Latest Liverpool news: Harry Kane links, Ibrahima Konate update

Olise is not the only Bayern star linked with the defending Premier League champions, with an expert analysing the chances of Liverpool signing Harry Kane from the defending Bundesliga champions.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has noted four concerns for Liverpool under Arne Slot this season after watching the Reds lose to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday.

And finally, Real Madrid have made a decision on bidding for Ibrahima Konate in the January transfer window, with the France international central defender out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the season.

POLL: Who is most likely to win the Champions League?