Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise has reportedly informed his France teammates that he wants to leave the Bundesliga champions and join Real Madrid next season.

According to French newspaper L’Équipe on Thursday, the 24-year-old disclosed his desire during the FIFA World Cup, with Real Madrid already aware of his interest and expected to open talks after the tournament despite Bayern’s reluctance to sell.

Olise, who is under contract with Bayern until 2029, is said to be determined to take the next step in his career by moving to the Santiago Bernabéu.

The report added that France and Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano has tried to persuade Olise to remain in Munich.

Bayern president Herbert Hainer, however, recently dismissed speculation linking the winger with a move to the Spanish giants.

“Florentino Pérez can save himself the trouble of making an offer for Olise; we do not want to sell,” Hainer said.

Olise joined Bayern from Crystal Palace and has quickly established himself as one of the club’s key attacking players.

The report also claimed that Olise’s arrival at Real Madrid could force one of the club’s current stars to leave, with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior reportedly among those whose futures could come under scrutiny.

L’Équipe suggested Bellingham’s reported strained relationship with Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius’ unresolved contract renewal have fuelled speculation over possible departures, though neither claim has been confirmed by the clubs involved.

Real Madrid have yet to comment publicly on the reported interest in Olise.

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England manager, Thomas Tuchel, defended his tactics after the Three Lions’ World Cup dream ended in an agonising late defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

England appeared poised to reach their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon fired them into the lead early in the second half in Atlanta.

But England then invited wave after wave of late pressure from the defending champions and goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez secured a famous 2-1 victory.

Tuchel said his team had become “too passive” after taking the lead at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“We’re disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances,” Tuchel told the BBC.

“We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots,” the German coach added.

“We were close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored.”

Tuchel is likely to face serious scrutiny for his substitutions, notably the decision to bring goalscorer Gordon off for defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute.

“I did also offensive substitutions in the last games, we just tried to help the players,” he said.

“We conceded a chance straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open.

“Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances so we tried to help.”

Asked later at a press conference whether he believed he got his tactics wrong, former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach Tuchel replied: “No, I believe that’s just the nature of the game.

“As soon as you lose, you get criticized. It’s just what it is. No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions.

“So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I’m responsible for them. I took them, so I take the criticism.”

Asked why England had shied away from a more adventurous approach when leading, Tuchel replied: “Yes, but it doesn’t help if you can’t get the ball. We couldn’t get out.

“Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help.

“We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.”

Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February which lasts through to the 2028 European Championships which England is co-hosting.

Asked if he expected to remain England manager after Wednesday’s defeat, the German indicated he plans to honour his contract that leads up the the 2028 European Championship.

“We keep on going for contract until the home Euros, and I’m looking forward to that. Even like now, it’s difficult to look that far ahead,” he said.

AFP

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Argentina could face disciplinary action from FIFA after their players celebrated Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final victory over England by displaying a banner backing the country’s claim to the Falkland Islands.

The reigning world champions came from behind to beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 2-1 in Atlanta, scoring twice late in the game to secure a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Following the final whistle, several Argentina players held up a banner bearing the words “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”(“The Falklands are Argentine”), a political message that could attract sanctions from world football’s governing body.

PUNCH Online reports that the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, have long been at the centre of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.

The disagreement led to the 1982 Falklands War, a 74-day conflict in which 655 Argentine servicemen, 255 British servicemen and three islanders were killed.

According to BBC Sport, FIFA has previously sanctioned Argentina over a similar incident. In 2014, the Argentine Football Association was fined £20,000 after the national team displayed an identical banner before an international friendly against Slovenia.

FIFA ruled at the time that the act breached its regulations on political messages and team misconduct.

Reacting to Wednesday’s victory, Argentina’s Vice-President, Victoria Villarruel, posted on X saying, “It wasn’t just another match”, alongside a video appearing to show Argentine soldiers.

She added, “The Falklands are Argentine. They banned bringing them to the stadium and forgot that we carry them in our blood and our hearts.”

Ahead of the semi-final, Villarruel had also described the match as being “about putting the invaders in their place.”

Argentina’s players had earlier drawn attention for singing chants referencing the Falkland Islands, as well as football legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, after their dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16.

However, Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, had insisted during a press conference before the England match that football should remain separate from politics.

“The reality is that this is a football match. I can’t mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago.

“It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it, that’s the reality.

“Things are happening elsewhere in the world, and we criticise the existence of war. We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match – we shouldn’t confuse the two,” he said.

The semi-final, decided by late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez after England had taken the lead, was played under heightened security because of the long-standing historical tensions between the two countries.

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