Florentino Perez publicly denied that Michael Olise was the target. Then the same story kept pointing back to him. Perez said Real Madrid would make an offer on Tuesday worth at least €150m, the biggest payment in the club’s history, while also saying the deal was not for Olise. Reports later identified the Bayern winger anyway, which is why this one has not gone away.
Why Madrid keep circling Olise
The case for Olise is obvious enough in football terms. He has 22 goals and 31 assists in all competitions for Bayern München this season, which is elite output for any attacker, never mind one being talked about as a record-bid target. Fabrizio Romano said Perez fell in love with Olise during Bayern against Real Madrid games in the Champions League this season, and also said the Madrid president sees him as a system fit for the attack José Mourinho wants to use.
Romano added that Perez believes extra quality up front can help Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Olise together. Perez himself was blunt about the kind of player he wants, saying: "The €150m deal is not for a defender. It could be midfielder or forward. He is a young player. And he is not from the Premier League." That points to a very specific type of signing, even if he declined to name Olise directly.
Bayern are still the problem
The German club are not behaving like sellers. Uli Hoeness said Olise "remains unsellable", and two outlets say his contract runs until 2029. Bayern also finished first in the Bundesliga, so Madrid are not picking at a side under pressure to cash in. They are trying to prise a standout attacker out of a club that sees no reason to move.
That is why this feels more like a power play than a clean transfer story. Perez has set out the size of the bid, the size of the statement and the kind of player he wants. Bayern have set out the barrier. If Madrid do move, it will have to be with a bid large enough to test that stance properly.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →