Florentino Perez's promise & agent Kylian Mbappe: Are Real Madrid really about to make Michael Olise the most expensive signing in football history?

Michael Olise finds himself at the centre of one of the summer's biggest transfer stories after starring for France at the World Cup, but all is not as it seems. Various reports have claimed that the Bayern Munich dynamo is Real Madrid's priority target, with the move even endorsed by his compatriot and current 'Galactico', Kylian Mbappe. The reality, though, is that any deal is currently a non-starter.

Olise only enhanced his burgeoning reputation with his performances in North America, putting in some virtuoso displays as a roaming No.10 on his way to breaking Pele's 56-year-old record for the most assists at a single World Cup with seven - five of which were for Mbappe.

However, the attacker's tournament unfolded against the backdrop of significant speculation, which has only ramped up since France's quest for glory came to an end in the semi-finals.

The rumours centre on Madrid's reported interest in the Bayern star, with the Spanish giants reportedly prepared to table an astronomical offer of north of

That would potentially make Olise the most expensive player of all-time depending on the final fee, breaking a record currently held by Neymar, but where exactly does the truth lie?

Bold promises

Madrid will always have the world's best players on their transfer shortlist, but speculation around a move for Olise peaked on the eve of the World Cup, when president

Interestingly, Perez made a point of denying that he was talking about Olise, telling Spanish TV show 'Horizonte': "Olise is a great player but it's not Olise. It's not [Jeremy] Doku either. He needs to be a player from midfield who can go forward. And the first thing we'll do is talk to the club. It's a signing meant to generate excitement because that's what it's all about, generating excitement."

Despite Perez's denial,

Public denial

That did not put an end to speculation linking the club with Olise, however, with subsequent reports claiming that Los Blancos were weighing up a mammoth €200m offer for the attacker.

Perhaps covering their tracks, Madrid felt compelled to release a statement later in June to refute that they had made contact with Olise or his camp, albeit they stopped short of ruling out a move for the player, which was the case when they made a similar announcement in response to

"In response to reports in various media outlets regarding an alleged interest from our club in Bayern Munich player Michael Olise, Real Madrid wishes to state that it has not had any direct or indirect contact with the aforementioned player, his representatives, or anyone in his entourage," the statetement read.

"Real Madrid also wishes to highlight the excellent institutional relationship it maintains with Bayern Munich, with whom it shares a long history of mutual respect, collaboration and admiration, and regrets the spread of speculation that does not correspond to reality."

Olise's desire

That quietened the noise down for a time, with Olise focused on starring for France on their run to the World Cup semi-finals, but things cranked right back up again once Les Bleus were dumped out by eventual winners Spain last week.

It was sensationally reported by French outlet

Madrid, meanwhile, were still said to be ready to make a club-record offer, while it was claimed elsewhere that they were prepared to go to great lengths to get the blockbuster deal over the line.

Agent Mbappe

Reports in both Germany and Spain claim that

Mbappe struck up an obvious on-pitch rapport with Olise in North America as the pair formed part of Didier Deschamps' fearsome attack, breaking a 60-year record for goal combinations at the tournament as Olise assisted his captain five times.

Perhaps as a result, Mbappe supposedly believes that his countryman would be the ideal fit for new manager Jose Mourinho's system in the Spanish capital, and is advocating for the club to complete what would be a stunning transfer.

Stumbling blocks

However, the supposed wishes of Olise and Mbappe behind closed doors do not change the fact that the former is categorically not for sale. Various members of Bayern's outspoken hierarchy have made that explicitly clear this summer, including an unnamed official who told French outlet

That sum obviously dwarfs the €200m figure that has been widely reported to be Die Roten's valuation, which would have been a tall ask for Madrid as was. Something that could move the needle is

The Bavarian giants have made it abundantly clear that they don't want to part with one of their prized assets, and they are in a strong negotiating position given Olise's contract still has three years to run and doesn't include a buyout clause. The winger is viewed as a key part of Bayern's future, and they intend to offer him a new contract to tie him to the club for the long-term.

Madrid, meanwhile, do not have a bottomless pit of money, and with moves for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande and Manchester City midfielder Rodri in the works, it's difficult to see how they could acquire Olise as well should both those deals get over the line.

'Not feasible'

The reality, then, is that this is a transfer that is highly unlikely to happen this summer, despite what some would have you believe.

Real Madrid haven't spent more than €100m on a player since signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund three years ago, instead

When you combine the astronomical fee required with the fact that Olise isn't publicly angling for a move and Bayern have no intention of doing business with Real or anyone else, then it becomes pretty clear that this is a non-starter. Indeed, according to

You can never rule out Real Madrid when it comes to springing a major surprise in the transfer market, but it's clear that Olise is off the table for the time being, at least.