As debates for the presidential election of Real Madrid intensify, Florentino Perez has revealed that the club is set to make a €150m transfer bid for a player.
Florentino Perez has promised to make a club-record offer for a "great player" if re-elected as Real Madrid president on Sunday, and the target has reportedly been revealed as Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, despite the Spanish club's president appearing to rule out the Frenchman in a televised interview.
Perez said he would offer "about 150 million euros" (£130m) for an attacking midfielder, but told Spanish TV show Horizonte that the player was "not Olise." Sources have since reportedly identified the unnamed target as the Bayern Munich winger, in what would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid have ever paid.
Perez also ruled out signing Erling Haaland, as had been promised by election challenger Enrique Riquelme earlier this week. Haaland's club, Manchester City have since stated there is "no chance" of such a transfer and are threatening legal action against Riquelme.
Real Madrid is owned entirely by members who elect its president. Each pays an annual fee of around £130, and nearly 100,000 of them will vote on Sunday.
Trailing La Liga champions Barcelona by eight points, Real Madrid ended the 2025-26 season with no major trophies for the second season in a row, the backdrop against which Perez is fighting his most competitive election in two decades. Renewable energy magnate Enrique Riquelme stepped forward as a challenger, leaving Perez to compete for the presidency for the first time in 20 years.
On Wednesday, Perez promised voters he would initiate a Galacticos-style transfer bid days after he hopes to be re-elected.
"I have some news for you," he told Horizonte. "On Tuesday or so, I'm going to make an offer to a major Champions League club for a great player. It would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid has ever paid in its history."
While Perez insisted the player was "not from the Premier League" and described him as someone "from midfield who can go forward," sources have reportedly since identified the target as Olise, a French international who plays for Bayern Munich and was born in London, meaning he does not qualify as a Premier League player. The reported €150m fee would surpass Real Madrid's current transfer record.
Perez also confirmed that his re-election would activate already-agreed deals for manager José Mourinho, Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konaté, whose contract at Liverpool will not be renewed.
Following his first election in 2000, Perez pursued a 'Galacticos' policy of signing expensive world-class players, including Luis Figo, David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid won two La Liga titles and a Champions League before Perez resigned in 2006 amid disappointing results. He returned to the presidency in 2009 and has stood unopposed a further four times during his 17-year second term.
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