Given Barcelona’s evident financial struggles and their ongoing difficulties in registering players, respecting La Liga rulings, the club faces an obstacle. Barcelona could lose Dani Olmo for free unless they find a solution as soon as possible.
Dani Olmo’s situation
Olmo was signed this summer from RB Leipzig for a fee of $60 million, with an additional fee of $7 million in add-ons.
When Olmo was signed, initially the club faced challenges with his registration, leading him to miss the opening games of La Liga. Now, once again, the club finds itself in a similar situation and is in danger of losing the player mid-season.
According to a report from the New York Times, Barcelona cannot rely on player expulsion to find space in the wage bill to keep Olmo at the club. The reason for this is that his ongoing license expires before the start of the winter transfer window, and giving one player two licenses in the same season is against the rules of the league. Olmo was given the license to feature for Barcelona after an injury to Andreas Christensen, which allowed Barcelona an exception to register him.
Agent’s Visit to Manchester
Dani Olmo’s agent, Andy Bara, was spotted in Manchester during the boxing day, with several Premier League clubs looking to take advantage of the Spaniard’s situation at Barcelona. This visit clearly hints at a move to England. When Barcelona was in the race to get Olmo, clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal were also in the race, but Barcelona was Olmo’s top priority.
Now as the transfer situation is against Barcelona, several Premier League clubs are looking to get the Spaniard.
What did Barcelona do to keep Olmo?
Barcelona took matters to court against La Liga for Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration. The deadline given to Barcelona is to register both before 1st January 2025.
Barca has protested, claiming that they have the right to operate both the signings, as La Liga previously refused to allow the club to use the salary cap of Stegen, which was allocated for the registration of Szczesny. This request was denied by La Liga and the RFEF.
What’s next for Barcelona and Olmo?
Olmo’s entourage has left their trust in the Barcelona board and expects them to resolve the issue smoothly. The player is only focused on playing and performing.
In my opinion, if Barcelona loses Dani Olmo, taking the club’s financial situation into consideration, the club won’t be looking for any specific replacements in the upcoming January transfer window. What Barça could do is either replace Olmo with the players on the bench or go to the La Masia option. There are many players within the squad on whom Flick trusts and believes they can replace Dani Olmo. Players who can play a similar role to Olmo could be Gavi and Fermin.
Whatever happens, the main priority of the board should be the registration of these key players.