Barcelona
What next for Dani Olmo? Will he leave Barcelona in January?
Summer signing Olmo has been unregistered by LaLiga, leaving his immediate future with Barça up in the air.
Dani Olmo is the most recent victim of Barcelona’s financial mismanagement, with the $64 million summer signing from RB Leipzig no longer registered with LaLiga as of January 1, 2025.
The Catalan giants failed to prove they were compliant with the Spanish league’s financial fair play (FFP) rules by December 31, with has resulted in both Olmo and fellow forward Pau Victor being unregistered to play.
According to ESPN, Barça hope the raising of €100 million via the sale of VIP boxes will help them fall back within LaLiga’s FFP regulations. They are said to “not be considering” a scenario in which the two players aren’t registered, although they will have to persuade LaLiga to allow them to do so outside the original timeframe stipulated.
Can Olmo play for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup?
Hansi Flick’s team don’t play in LaLiga until January 18, when they travel to Getafe, although the issue also affects their first two (potentially three) games of 2025 against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey (January 4) and Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup (January 8). The final of the second competition follows on January 12.
Both the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup are run by the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF), who say they “cannot process any licence without prior approval from LaLiga.”
Dani Olmo’s Barcelona release clause
Olmo, who was initially registered on a temporary basis until December 31, has a clause in his Barcelona contract allowing him to move to another club on a free transfer if he wasn’t registered to play in LaLiga before December 31.
That has inevitably seen several clubs linked with the Spanish international, including Manchester City, who were interested in signing him before he joined Barça, and Manchester United.
Olmo “wants to play for Barça”
However, Olmo won’t be giving up on his Barcelona dream just yet. Andy Bara, The attacker’s agent, has told Give Me Sport his client “wants to play for Barça” and “isn’t considering any other option or club”, while eagle-eyed social media users spotted blue and red hearts next to Olmo’s New Year message on Instagram, a sure-fire sign he won’t be going anywhere unless something (even more) drastic happens…
An ‘intermediate’ option could see Olmo leave the club for six months before returning, provided they have sorted out their finances by then. However, Bara’s words suggest that would very much be a last resort.
It’s over to the men in suits to work their magic with the books and the boardroom before we have any more news on the matter, it seems.
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