Another elite winger edges towards a fresh deal, and Liverpool are left waiting again

Liverpool’s search for a new wide forward was put on ice in the summer, but nobody at the club seriously believes the issue has gone away. Late in the window there was real work done on Yankuba Minteh and Ismaila Sarr, and Cody Gakpo was close to heading for Manchester City as part of that reshuffle. The Gakpo deal fell through, and his form since then has given Andoni Iraola plenty to think about.

So the question for 2027 is simple enough. Do Liverpool back what they already have, or do they go back into the market for a genuine star? If it is the latter, Michael Olise is precisely the sort of player who would sit near the top of any wish list. Creative, composed on the ball and dangerous in the final third, he has been admired by the Premier League’s leading clubs for some time. Unfortunately for us, Bayern Munich appear to have seen all of this coming.

Bayern want Olise tied down

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano explained that, with Harry Kane’s extension now completed, Bayern’s next priority is fresh terms for Olise. According to Romano, the German champions first opened conversations with the player’s camp last summer, making clear they wanted to reward him with a higher salary and a longer deal.

Romano was clear that there is no urgency in the strict sense, because Olise’s current contract already runs a long way. That is exactly what makes the move so telling. Bayern are not reacting to a threat, they are pre-empting one. An improved deal strengthens their hand even further and makes any future bid far harder to land.

Real Madrid complicate things further

Liverpool are not the only admirers either. Romano also noted that Florentino Perez and Real Madrid rate Olise highly, to the point of lodging a bid during the summer. Bayern, he said, refused to even entertain the idea of a sale, and the new contract is designed to shut the door on similar approaches down the line.

When a club rebuffs Real Madrid and then moves to improve the player’s terms anyway, the message to everyone else could hardly be louder. Olise is viewed in Munich as a cornerstone of the project, not an asset to be cashed in, and that is the kind of stance that tends to make deals expensive, slow and usually impossible.

Where that leaves Liverpool

Realistically, Olise now looks more like a dream entry on a shortlist than a live target. Liverpool may well end up returning to the value-driven, opportunistic approach they explored with Minteh and Sarr, particularly if Gakpo keeps playing well enough to justify a longer spell in Iraola’s plans.

There is nothing wrong with that route in principle. It just does not often deliver the type of difference-maker who settles the biggest games. Bargain hunting can fill a gap, but it rarely raises the ceiling of a side with title ambitions.

Our take

We find this one hard to take. Olise is exactly the level of wide forward Liverpool should be targeting, and watching Bayern move to lock him in before any serious conversation could even begin feels like a missed opportunity playing out in slow motion. The need was parked in the summer, not solved.

It also fits a pattern that is starting to grate. Minteh and Sarr were looked at, Gakpo almost left, and then the whole plan was shelved. Now Gakpo’s upturn in form offers a handy reason to hold fire, but leaning on a good run from one player is a risky way to plan a squad. If the club genuinely thinks another wide attacker is required, waiting for the ideal moment can mean watching the best candidates sign extensions elsewhere, one by one.

Yes, a player like Olise would cost a fortune. Elite quality always does. But Liverpool need players who decide matches, not just bodies to rotate. When Bayern and Real Madrid are the clubs fighting over someone, that tells you everything about his level, and repeatedly missing out on that bracket eventually catches up with you on the pitch.

Our worry is that Liverpool are once again being steered towards a plan B while the very top of the market gets tied up early. We would love to be proved wrong.