The Luiz auction is heating up, and it is the first real test of the summer
André Luiz has three clubs circling and the bids are only going to climb. Trabzonspor, Wolves, and Benfica are all in for the Brazilian midfielder, and Olympiacos now face the first genuine sell-or-keep dilemma of the window (1). The timing matters. Mendilibar has Rodinei and Chiquinho already back in Greece training individually ahead of schedule, sending a signal about the culture he wants (1). Selling a starter now, before you have even lined up the replacement, would cut against that. But the money will talk, and it always does at this stage of the Greek summer.
A year ago Luiz was a punt. Now he is a player three mid-tier European leagues are fighting over. That is a development win for the club, and it gives sporting director Gerasimos Manolidis real leverage. The question is whether Olympiacos see him as a core piece for the title push or an asset to cash in. The squad finished second, 66 points from 32 matches, with a plus-34 goal difference, and closing the gap on top means keeping your best players, not selling them in June. But if the number hits €10m, the decision gets complicated fast.
In-beom Hwang resurfaces, but the trail leads elsewhere
Another name from the Olympiacos universe is back in the Greek rumour mill. In-beom Hwang, the South Korean who left Piraeus for Feyenoord, is reportedly the target of a "colpo grosso" bid from a major Greek club, with a figure close to €10m mentioned (4). The reporting does not name Olympiacos directly, and the smart reading here is that it is not them. A return would make little tactical sense with the midfield already crowded and the priority positions clearly elsewhere, Carmo at centre-back, Stanić on the wing, Popovic in goal.
Still, the Hwang story tells you something about the ambition level in the Greek market right now. €10m bids are not the norm, and if a domestic rival is willing to spend that on a former Olympiacos player, the arms race is real. Olympiacos are already spending, the Carmo deal at roughly €8m is close, and the Stanić chase remains live despite competition (1). The club is not sitting still. But who else is moving matters too.
What to watch
Petar Stanić is the next domino. Ludogorets know they have a bidding war, Olympiacos are in it, and the winger is the kind of signing that shifts the attack from second place to title favourite. If Manolidis lands Carmo, Popovic, and Stanić before preseason camp opens, this becomes the most aggressive Olympiacos window in years. If Luiz leaves first, the tone changes. One way or another, the summer narrative gets defined this week.
