Mbappé Tried to Convince Olise to Join Real Madrid
Real Madrid's transfer plans have taken an unexpected turn. Although Kylian Mbappé was eager to see his France National Team teammate Michael Olise arrive at the Santiago Bernabéu, the club's board ultimately decided not to pursue the Bayern Munich winger and has now shifted its full attention to another target: Yan Diomandé.
The information was reported by Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that the Spanish giants have withdrawn from the race to sign the French international, despite the excitement surrounding the possibility of reuniting two of France's biggest stars at club level.
Mbappé Wanted to Play Alongside Olise
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise developed an outstanding partnership that caught the attention of football fans across Europe.
Both players were among France's standout performers throughout the tournament. While Mbappé once again challenged for the Golden Boot, Olise enjoyed a remarkable World Cup, setting a new tournament assist record and establishing himself as one of the most dangerous wingers in international football.
Their connection extended beyond the pitch.
The Real Madrid forward repeatedly praised Olise's talent, personality, and ability to change matches. According to reports from German media, Mbappé even tried to convince his teammate that Real Madrid was the ideal destination for the next step in his career, taking advantage of the close relationship they built during France's World Cup campaign.
That bond reportedly led Olise to seriously consider the possibility of wearing the famous white jersey.
Real Madrid Chose Not to Damage Their Relationship With Bayern
Despite that interest, the transfer never truly gathered momentum.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Florentino Pérez and the Real Madrid hierarchy decided to withdraw from the race for the French winger.
The main reason was Bayern Munich's firm refusal to negotiate for one of its most valuable players.
In addition, Real Madrid considers maintaining a strong institutional relationship with the German champions to be extremely important and was unwilling to jeopardize that relationship by aggressively pursuing a transfer that appeared highly unlikely from the outset.
As a result, the club decided to redirect its efforts toward another priority target.
Yan Diomandé Becomes the New Priority
That new target is Yan Diomandé, the highly rated RB Leipzig winger who is widely regarded as one of the brightest young attacking talents in European football.
The deal, however, will not be easy.
Paris Saint-Germain is also monitoring the Ivorian international, but multiple reports indicate that Real Madrid currently holds the advantage in the race.
The Spanish club has reportedly already submitted an offer worth $90 million, plus $10 million in performance-related bonuses, although RB Leipzig rejected the initial proposal.
Even so, negotiations remain ongoing, and there is growing optimism that both clubs can eventually reach an agreement.
A New Direction for Real Madrid
Real Madrid's decision makes one thing clear: the club is unwilling to pursue transfers it considers unrealistic, even when one of its biggest stars, Kylian Mbappé, hoped to reunite with Michael Olise at club level.
Instead, all attention has now shifted toward Yan Diomandé.
Should Real Madrid complete that signing, the club would secure one of Europe's most promising young talents while officially ending its pursuit of Michael Olise, a transfer that seemed possible for several weeks but ultimately never progressed beyond internal discussions.
