Bayern Munich Warned: Liverpool's Dangerous Pursuit of Michael Olise as Salah Successor Gathers Pace

The Mohamed Salah saga continues to dominate the Anfield narrative, and now Liverpool's contingency planning for a potential summer void has drawn attention across Europe. Bayern Munich have been warned not to dismiss the Merseyside club's ambitions regarding Michael Olise, with German media outlining just how formidable an opponent the Reds could become in any bidding war.

Salah's relationship with manager Arne Slot has deteriorated to the point where separation feels increasingly inevitable. Following December's 3-3 stalemate with Leeds United, the Egyptian winger publicly criticised Liverpool for using him as a scapegoat and declared his connection with Slot broken. The situation escalated when both the board and manager made the joint call to exclude him from the Inter Milan fixture, though reconciliation efforts saw him recalled nine days later for a 2-0 triumph over Brighton. The Kop's post-match serenade felt more like a goodbye than a reunion.

The writing appears on the wall. Reports from December suggested Salah and Slot have agreed to maintain professional peace until season's end, with the 33-year-old expected to depart for Saudi Arabia's Pro League. Al-Ittihad are reportedly pushing hard to complete a deal, and few would bet against the move materialising when the transfer window opens.

This season has hardly been vintage Salah anyway. Seven goals and seven assists across 29 competitive appearances represent a significant dip from his usual standards, providing Liverpool with both justification and cover for their summer reset.

Enter Olise. Bayern Munich's winger has emerged as a potential replacement, and Bild's analysis suggests Liverpool would be a genuinely threatening proposition in any pursuit. A nine-figure deal would likely be required, with €130m (£113m) potentially attractive enough to convince Bayern, especially given their own plans to recruit RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande – a player Liverpool have also been tracking.

The complication? Olise carries an extraordinarily high standing at Bayern and remains under contract until 2029. That's not the profile of someone ready to jump ship. More problematically for the English clubs, recent inquiries from Liverpool, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have all been rebuffed as Bayern view any departure as a non-starter given Olise's deep affection for the Bundesliga champions.

Even if Bayern could be moved, there's another hurdle. Olise harbours longer-term ambitions of testing himself in La Liga, with Real Madrid and Barcelona monitoring his trajectory closely. For Liverpool, Manchester City and PSG, the reality may be that this particular target simply isn't available – regardless of the cheque book.