Real Madrid have come out and officially denied making any contact, direct or indirect, with Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise regarding a potential summer transfer. Which is exactly the kind of statement that makes football fans sit up and pay a little more attention.
Now, to be fair, clubs issue these kinds of denials fairly regularly and sometimes they are completely true. Madrid have a lot on their plate and they are not exactly short of quality out wide. But the fact that they felt the need to put something out there publicly suggests the rumour had enough legs to warrant a response, and that alone is interesting.
Olise has been absolutely flying since he moved to Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace. He has that rare combination of technical ability, directness and end product that top clubs are always chasing. Still only 23, he is the kind of player who is going to attract attention from the biggest clubs in Europe for years to come, so it would be no surprise at all if Madrid have had an internal conversation or two about him even if no formal approach has been made.
From Bayern's point of view, they will be desperate to hold onto him. They did not bring him in from the Premier League to watch him disappear to the Bernabeu after one season. Expect them to be very firm about his availability, which in football language means he will probably cost an absolute fortune if anyone does come knocking.
For Madrid, the summer is shaping up to be a busy one regardless. They have bigger priorities to sort out and adding Olise into the mix would be quite the statement of intent, even if right now they are insisting there is nothing to see here.
As a Manchester United fan, watching Olise leave Palace still stings a little. He was the kind of player who deserved a bigger stage, and he is clearly thriving on one. Whether Madrid eventually come in for him or not, his stock is only going one way.
Let me know your thoughts.