Barcelona threatened with free transfer of European Championship hero Olmo

Posted by Admin January 1, 2025 Football

Dani Olmo kisses the European Championship trophy after the 2:1 victory in the final against England.

Robert Michael/dpa

FC Barcelona have failed in their application to the Spanish league to register Dani Olmo for another season. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the ex-Leipzig native.

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FC Barcelona signed Olmo from RB Leipzig in the summer for a rumored 55 million euros and gave him a contract until June 2030.
Because Barça had – and still has – financial problems in the summer, Olmo was initially ineligible to play. However, thanks to a special permit, he was allowed to play for the Catalans after all. The special permit expired at the end of 2024.
And so trouble is looming again: the Spanish football league has refused to register the European champion with FC Barcelona for the rest of the season.
Without registration, Olmo is no longer part of the squad and could move on a free transfer. According to advisor Andy Bara, however, the Spaniard is not thinking of leaving the club.
Olmo was a key player for Spain (3 goals, two assists) on their way to the 2024 European Championship title.

The Spanish Football League has denied FC Barcelona the registration of European Football Champion Dani Olmo for the remainder of the season. This was announced by the league. The reason for the decision is the Catalans’ financial problems. FC Barcelona had not presented any alternative to meet the conditions for registration. A new license for Pau Victor was also rejected.

The club had previously tried in vain to force the registration in court. The media reported that FC Barcelona was trying to raise 100 million euros by selling VIP boxes in the modernized Camp Nou stadium to an Arab investment fund in order to solve the problem after all.

Advisor: Olmo wants to stay in Barcelona

It remains to be seen what will happen with Olmo. Without registration, he is no longer part of the squad and is likely to transfer. FC Barcelona, who have had former national coach Hansi Flick as their coach since this season, have reportedly applied to the Spanish Football Association for a license for Olmo and Pau Victor.

At the same time, the Catalan club denied in a statement before the league decision that it had received a moratorium on registration from another body. However, the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, citing association sources, wrote that no association license could be applied for without the approval of the league. FC Barcelona may now try to obtain a registration during the transfer period, which runs until the beginning of February.

FC Barcelona signed Olmo from RB Leipzig for an estimated 55 million euros in the summer. The 26-year-old signed a contract there until June 2030.

His advisor Andy Bara previously told Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano that Olmo wanted to stay at Barcelona. He had made this decision because he wanted to play for Barça. “We are not considering any other option,” Bara emphasized.