OLYMPIACOS REPORTEDLY MAKE ICARDI OFFER
Olympiacos' pursuit of Mauro Icardi appears to have moved beyond simple exploratory contact.
The latest report from bwinSPORT FM on Saturday morning says the club has put an offer in front of the Argentine striker and is waiting for his answer, with information originating from Argentina placing the guaranteed salary near €2 million annually and potential bonuses capable of lifting the package toward €3 million.
Those figures should be treated cautiously. Olympiacos have not confirmed them, but the progression itself is noteworthy.
When Argentine journalist Nahuel Ferreira first broke the link on September 10, he reported formal contacts over a possible two-year deal and said Olympiacos wanted Icardi to compete with Armando González.
Saturday's report moves the story one stage forward. That still leaves a considerable distance before a signing.
Alguacil may have changed the question Olympiacos are asking
The more strategically interesting detail is Imanol Alguacil's involvement. According to the report, Olympiacos' new coach is participating directly in the recruitment process because whichever striker arrives must fit the football he intends to implement. Internal discussions involving the sporting structure and Alguacil have reportedly modified the original targeting to some extent. That makes sense.
Icardi, Paulinho and Marius Mouandilmadji are not interchangeable footballers. Icardi remains an elite penalty-area specialist. His movement around centre-backs, instincts inside the box and ability to finish quickly remain the obvious attraction, but Alguacil's football asks more from a striker than waiting for the final pass. The centre-forward must help initiate pressure. He must understand when to drop. He must connect midfield runners. He must occupy defenders so the players around him can attack the resulting spaces.
That creates a legitimate sporting debate. Do Olympiacos take the best pure scorer available? Or the striker who best complements Alguacil's collective structure? Until the coaching change, the first question may have dominated. Now the second appears to matter considerably more.
The Yaremchuk detail is significant
There is another important piece of information in Saturday's report. Olympiacos' decision to sign another striker is said to have been made independently of Roman Yaremchuk's status. Even if the Ukrainian becomes more involved and is eventually added to the European squad, Olympiacos still intend to recruit another goalscorer.
That tells us El Kaabi's injury has altered the squad plan structurally. El Kaabi is injured, González is emerging, Yaremchuk remains an option — and Olympiacos still want another striker.
That potentially leaves Alguacil with a very different attacking hierarchy once El Kaabi eventually returns.
Icardi's decision is not purely financial
The reported Olympiacos package would also have to compete with other options available to Icardi. Italian reporting continues to place several clubs around him, including Lazio and Parma, while PAOK has also been mentioned from Greece.
That matters because Icardi previously earned far more at Galatasaray and has already turned down proposals elsewhere. The attraction Olympiacos can offer is therefore not simply salary.
It can offer a club expected to fight for trophies, European football, a significant attacking role, and a squad suddenly rebuilding around a new coach.
There is one limitation: because European registration deadlines have already passed, any late free-agent signing would primarily solve the domestic problem initially rather than immediately replacing El Kaabi in Europa League competition.
That makes the recruitment decision even more interesting. Olympiacos are considering making a substantial salary commitment to strengthen the domestic title race even though the player may not provide immediate European relief.
González should not disappear from this conversation
There is also Armando González. The original Ferreira report explicitly stated that Olympiacos saw Icardi as someone who would compete with the Mexican striker, not simply erase him from the depth chart. That distinction becomes important under Alguacil.
González gives Olympiacos youth, pressing energy and developmental upside. Icardi would provide experience and elite box instincts. Those two profiles could actually coexist quite logically and if Alguacil is genuinely influencing the final selection, Olympiacos may ultimately decide that the best emergency signing is not necessarily the player with the biggest name.
The real question comes down to the locker room, risk, and approach. Olympiacos reactivated Roman Yaremchuk after a frustrating summer saga with the player requesting an exit. To bring in another high profile striker risks reigniting that problem. Additionally, Icardi carries a lot of off field drama, is this a risk worth taking that could destabilize the locker room? All of these questions must be answered prior to completing the transfer.
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