Steven Gerrard did not hesitate when the question came: who could possibly replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool?
"If you want to bring in a direct replacement for Salah, there are very few options out there," he told talkSPORT. "Olise would be one, I’d say."
One name. One profile. But one major problem.
Michael Olise is locked into a long-term deal at Bayern Munich until 2029, and in Bavaria they are treating the speculation with a mixture of amusement and certainty. The winger has become a cornerstone of Bayern’s attack, and the German champions are in no mood to entertain a sale.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge made that crystal clear. Speaking to As about the swirl of rumours linking Olise with Liverpool, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the Bayern supervisory board member almost laughed it off.
"These rumours make everyone at the club smile," he said. "He still has three years left on his contract – there’s nothing more to say on the matter. People come to the stadium for players like him."
The message was blunt: admire him from afar.
Reports suggest Liverpool are willing to test that resolve in spectacular fashion. Figures of around 200 million euros have been floated as the kind of fee the Anfield hierarchy would be prepared to pay to prise Olise away. It would be a statement bid, the sort of move that announces a new era after Salah.
Bayern, though, are not blinking. Sporting director Max Eberl told Sport Bild that nobody at Säbener Straße is spending "a single thought" on a possible Olise transfer. No negotiating stance, no opening price. Just a flat refusal to engage.
You can see why.
Since arriving from Crystal Palace in 2024 for €53 million, the French international has exploded into one of Europe’s most productive wide forwards. This season alone, the 24-year-old has been directly involved in 44 goals: 16 scored, 28 created. Those are not just good numbers; they are elite, title-shaping numbers.
Players with that output, at that age, on that kind of contract, do not leave easily. Certainly not from a club like Bayern, who are building around him rather than cashing in on him.
For Liverpool, the appeal is obvious. Salah is going. The club icon confirmed at the end of March that he will leave the reigning English champions early, at the end of the season, despite a contract running until 2027. A seismic decision that rips out the heart of Liverpool’s attack.
Since 2017, Salah has been the club’s guarantee. Goals, assists, big moments in big games. Across 436 appearances, he has scored 255 times for the Reds, dragging them to trophies and redefining what a wide forward can be in English football.
Replacing that is not a normal recruitment task. It is a rebuild around a void.
Where Salah goes next is still open. Interest from Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia has been reported, and more suitors will circle a player of his stature and scoring record. Liverpool, meanwhile, must plan for life after their modern legend.
That is where Olise comes into the conversation – and, for now, where he exits it.
Gerrard recognises the scale of the challenge but also trusts the club’s machinery behind the scenes. "Liverpool’s scouting department will have several options in mind. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-for-one replacement," he said, backing the recruitment team to find an answer even if the Olise pursuit proves futile.
Maybe the next Salah won’t look like Salah at all. Maybe he won’t be called Olise either.
But with their talisman walking away and one of Europe’s brightest attacking talents apparently untouchable in Munich, Liverpool are heading into a summer that will define the next chapter at Anfield.
