The French sports press was alive with a potential La Liga bombshell on Friday, as reports emerged that Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise is a target for Real Madrid and that the player is pushing for a move.
This claim came as a shock to Bayern’s bosses, though there have been rumours in circulation for some time, and Los Blancos have made no secret of their admiration for the France star. It has been widely known that the only way for the Bavarians to allow Olise to leave is for him to officially inform the club that is his intention, and the French news outlet suggests he has already informed some teammates of his decision.
Bundesliga champions Bayern are not keen to sell one of their prize assets, whose contract runs until 2029, though manager Vincent Kompany knows that Olise is keen to play for Los Blancos. But as far as the German giants are concerned, he may have to wait. There may be a way forward, according to the French press, which says that Real Madrid have not totally dismissed the idea of selling their Brazilian gem Vinicius Junior. Neither club nor player particularly wants to part company, but contract negotiations have been at a standstill for some time.
Vinicius made it known that he was unhappy that the arrival of Kylian Mbappe two years ago, left his salary short of the marquee signing, and he has not always cut a happy figure on the pitch, embroiled in frequent off field complaints and frustrated that Los Blancos have watched Barcelona win back-to-back titles, with a team which has been brought together impressively by Hansi Flick over the past two seasons.
Should Vinicius leave the Santiago Bernabeu, then the door would be open for Olise, but there’s a long way to go. And here at SBOTOP, we’ll keep a close eye on developments.
Atleti warn Barcelona to stay away from Alvarez
Many of La Liga’s finest will be showcasing their talents in the World Cup final, as Spain meet Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday. The Barcelona contingent, including Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal and Pedri, will hope to beat the Albiceleste, as Lionel Messi tries to leave a legacy of two World Cup wins. Another star who is likely to feature for Argentina is Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, who has been mightily impressive in the Primera Division since his transfer from Manchester City.
Champions Barcelona have been courting Alvarez, but Los Rojiblancos are keen to keep hold of their man, and Atleti CEO Gil Marin has strongly rebuked the Catalans for their pursuit of his player after Barca president Joan Laporta has said their offer for Alvarez would not stay on the table if Atleti delay much longer.
“I simply heard some statements from the president, saying that his offer wasn’t open-ended,” said Marin. “And our response is that our response is indeed open-ended; we don’t want to transfer him. We didn’t accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million.”
It will be fascinating to see if Marin’s resolve remains so firm if the figure does start to climb so high, but he did add that he has personally asked Laporta to stop pursuing Alvarez. Over at the Camp Nou, Barcelona have refused to respond after being accused of creating a ‘media circus’ to excite their fans and unsettle the player. With Alvarez currently concentrating on World Cup matters, the Catalans will wait to see how the player feels after the end of the tournament. Meanwhile, Alvarez’s agent, Hidalgo, has also chosen to keep quiet.
In other La Liga 2026 news, the Primera Division has decided to delay the opening matches of Barcelona and Real Madrid to allow their players who were in the latter stages of the World Cup to recover.
And in advance of the new campaign, Barcelona, who are hoping to make it three La Liga titles on the bounce, have received a timely financial boost by raising €105 million through a new bond issue which attracted huge interest from investors in the USA. Continued success on the pitch has helped Laporta’s cause, and his club is once again an attractive proposition.
The 10-year bond issue was fully subscribed in less than two hours, with demand exceeding the amount available, and that is good news for Flick and his recruitment team. Former Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has already arrived at the Camp Nou, and the England World Cup star is raring to go. His arrival may be another factor which could tempt Alvarez to consider a move.
The La Liga 2026 betting odds predict another El Clasico battle, and the arrival of Jose Mourinho’s as Real Madrid boss has shaken things up at the Bernabeu, where Spain wing-back Marc Cucurella has already signed from Chelsea.
My money is on Barcelona, though Atletico Madrid have stolen a march in the transfer window with the signings of Alex Grimaldo, Morten Hjulmand, and Lee-Kang-in, who is not a natural replacement for the departed Antoine Griezmann, but the midfield ace can play just behind a front two.
The transfer activity has already started at some pace, and I suspect it’s about to speed up.
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