Speculation has once again come to the fore about French player Michael Olise, of German football club Bayern Munich, moving to Spanish Real Madrid ahead of the end of the 2026 World Cup.

The French daily sports newspaper L'Equipe published a photo of Olise on its front page on Friday, with the caption: 'I feel a desire to join Real Madrid.'

The newspaper reported that Olise expressed his desire to move to the Spanish giants within the French national team squad participating in the World Cup, and inquired from Real Madrid players in the 'Les Bleus' squad, Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Olise joined Bayern in 2024 and is under contract until 2029 without a release clause. He moved to the Bavarian club for 55 million euros ($63 million) from English club Crystal Palace, while his market value has now approximately tripled to 150 million euros.

Bayern has declared that Olise is not for sale, but it is unclear whether the huge transfer fee would change the management's stance.

Olise has put in impressive performances for Bayern, scoring 32 goals and providing 46 assists in 107 matches for the German league champions. L'Equipe reported that another Bayern player, Frenchman Dayot Upamecano, is doing his utmost to keep Olise.

L'Equipe indicated that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is very impressed with Olise, adding that the club wants to focus on signings after the World Cup ends this weekend, while the French national team plays against England to decide third place in the World Cup on Saturday.

L'Equipe revealed that Real Madrid is ready to part ways with some players to finance the Olise deal, possibly even its Brazilian star, winger Vinícius Júnior.

Real Madrid denied last month reports that it had contacted Olise about a potential transfer, stressing that 'there has been no direct or indirect communication with the aforementioned player, his agents, or those close to him.'

The club clarified that any interest in signing Olise would be initiated by the two clubs, given the strong relationship between them.