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Michael Olise has become the focus of one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas after his standout displays for France at the World Cup, but the situation is not quite what it appears to be. Several reports have suggested that the Bayern Munich star is Real Madrid’s top target, with the move even said to have the backing of his compatriot and current ‘Galactico’, Kylian Mbappe. In reality, though, any deal is presently a non-starter.

Olise only added to his fast-rising reputation with his performances in North America, producing brilliant displays as a roaming No.10 while breaking Pele’s 56-year-old record for the most assists in a single World Cup with seven — five of them for Mbappe.

Even so, the attacker’s tournament played out amid heavy speculation, and that talk has only intensified since France’s bid for glory ended in the semi-finals.

The rumours are centred on Madrid’s reported interest in the Bayern star, with the Spanish giants said to be ready to place an eye-watering offer of more than €200 million (£173m/$227m) to take him to the Bernabeu.

That could, depending on the final fee, make Olise the most expensive player of all time and break the record currently held by Neymar, but where does the truth actually lie?

Bold promises

Madrid will always keep the world’s best players on their transfer shortlist, but the chatter around an Olise move reached its peak on the eve of the World Cup, when president Florentino Perez promised to make a club-record bid of €150m (£128m/$170.5m) for a “great player” from “a major Champions League club” as part of his re-election campaign.

Interestingly, Perez made a point of denying that he was referring to Olise, telling Spanish TV show ‘Horizonte’: “Olise is a great player but it’s not Olise. It’s not [Jeremy] Doku either. He needs to be a player from midfield who can go forward. And the first thing we’ll do is talk to the club. It’s a signing meant to generate excitement because that’s what it’s all about, generating excitement.”

Despite Perez’s denial, The Guardian reported at the time that the unnamed target was indeed Olise. But after Perez was re-elected, in what may well have been nothing more than smoke and mirrors, Madrid submitted a €150m bid for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez — a major target for fierce rivals Barcelona — only for it to be rejected immediately.

Public denial

That did not bring an end to the speculation linking the club with Olise, however, with later reports claiming that Los Blancos were considering a massive €200m offer for the attacker.

Perhaps trying to protect their position, Madrid felt compelled to issue a statement later in June denying that they had made contact with Olise or his camp, although they stopped short of ruling out a move for the player, unlike when they made a similar statement in response to rumours surrounding Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.

“In response to reports in various media outlets regarding an alleged interest from our club in Bayern Munich player Michael Olise, Real Madrid wishes to state that it has not had any direct or indirect contact with the aforementioned player, his representatives, or anyone in his entourage,” the statement read.

“Real Madrid also wishes to highlight the excellent institutional relationship it maintains with Bayern Munich, with whom it shares a long history of mutual respect, collaboration and admiration, and regrets the spread of speculation that does not correspond to reality.”

Olise's desire

That dampened the noise for a while, with Olise concentrating on France’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, but the discussion surged again once Les Bleus were knocked out by eventual winners Spain last week.

French outlet Foot Mercato sensationally reported that Olise wants to join Real Madrid this summer, believing the Bernabeu would be the ideal stage to continue his development after his rapid rise from Crystal Palace to Bayern Munich.

Madrid, meanwhile, were still said to be readying a club-record offer, while it was also claimed elsewhere that they were prepared to go to any lengths to get the blockbuster deal done.

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Agent Mbappe

Reports in both Germany and Spain say Madrid had an inside man doing the groundwork to convince Olise to make the switch. Los Blancos superstar Mbappe is said to have contacted Perez after France’s World Cup campaign ended, telling him that he had persuaded his compatriot that his future lay at the Bernabeu during their time together at the tournament.

Mbappe developed an obvious understanding with Olise on the pitch in North America as the pair formed part of Didier Deschamps’ dangerous attack, breaking a 60-year record for goal combinations at the tournament as Olise assisted his captain five times.

Perhaps because of that, Mbappe apparently believes that his countryman would be the perfect fit for new manager Jose Mourinho’s system in the Spanish capital, and is pushing the club to complete what would be a stunning transfer.

Stumbling blocks

However, the alleged private wishes of Olise and Mbappe do not change the fact that the former is firmly not for sale. Several members of Bayern’s vocal hierarchy have made that very clear this summer, including an unnamed official who told French outlet L’Equipe in June: “Olise is priceless; he won’t leave even for 500 million euros.”

That figure obviously dwarfs the €200m number that has been widely reported as Die Roten’s valuation, which would already have been a huge demand for Madrid. One factor that could change the situation is if the player himself pushes for a move and hands in a transfer request, but there is no sign of that happening at this stage.

The Bavarian giants have made it plain that they do not want to lose one of their prized assets, and they are in a strong bargaining position because Olise still has three years left on his contract and there is no buyout clause. The winger is seen as a central part of Bayern’s future, and they plan to offer him a new deal to keep him at the club for the long term.

Madrid, meanwhile, do not have unlimited funds, and with moves for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande and Manchester City midfielder Rodri already in progress, it is hard to see how they could also land Olise if both those deals are completed.

‘Not feasible’

The reality, then, is that this is a transfer that is highly unlikely to happen this summer, no matter what some may suggest.

Real Madrid have not spent more than €100m on a player since signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund three years ago, instead preferring smart business such as the free transfers of Mbappe, Trent Alexander-Arnold and, most recently, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate. A €200m+ move for Olise would therefore mark a major shift from that approach, despite Perez’s confident promise during his re-election campaign.

When the huge fee required is combined with the fact that Olise is not publicly pushing for a move and Bayern have no intention of doing business with Real or anyone else, it becomes clear that this is a non-starter. Indeed, according to The Athletic, there is an acceptance behind closed doors at the Bernabeu that a switch this summer is ‘not feasible’.

You can never completely rule out Real Madrid when it comes to pulling off a major transfer-market surprise, but for now Olise is clearly off the table, at least for the time being.