Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo has been ruled out of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Benfica with a calf injury, the LaLiga club said on Sunday.
Olmo has scored six goals and registered three assists in 18 appearances since joining Barça from RB Leipzig.
Barcelona were held by Getafe on Saturday in LaLiga but are well-placed in the Champions League table in second, having won five of their six games.
“Dani Olmo has a right soleus [lower calf muscle] strain. He is out for the next match and his return will be determined by his recovery,” the club said.
Olmo and Victor were originally only registered for the first half of the season and Barcelona were then blocked by LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation from registering both players for the second half of the campaign for failing to meet Financial Fair Play rules before the Dec. 31 deadline.
However, the club turned to the Spanish Government, which intervened as the National Sports Council reversed the decision and allowed the club to provisionally register the players until the final resolution of Barcelona’s appeal.
Barcelona’s Dani Olmo to miss Benfica UCL trip with injury
Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo will miss the upcoming Champions League clash against Benfica due to injury. The Spanish international suffered a muscle injury during training and will not be fit in time for the crucial group stage match.
Olmo has been a key player for Barcelona this season, contributing with goals and assists in both domestic and European competitions. His absence will be a blow for the team as they look to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Barcelona will have to rely on other midfield options to fill the void left by Olmo’s absence. The likes of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Sergi Roberto will need to step up and deliver a strong performance against Benfica.
Despite the setback, Barcelona will be hoping to secure a positive result against Benfica and keep their hopes of advancing in the Champions League alive. Fans will be eagerly awaiting Olmo’s return to fitness as they look to see him back in action for the team.
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El extremo del filial Dani Rodríguez (19 años) fue una de las grandes novedades del entrenamiento del primer equipo del Barça este pasado jueves y todo apuntaba que podría ir convocado para el estreno copero contra la UD Barbastro, pero finalmente el habilidoso futbolista no estará a disposición de Hansi Flick para el primer partido de 2025.
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Pese a que se perfilaba como posible sustituto de los lesionados Lamine Yamal y Ferran Torres, Dani Rodríguez ha vuelto a trabajar este viernes con el Barça Atlètic porque el atacante arrastra una sanción de la pasada edición de la Copa del Rey juvenil y no podrá jugar en Barbastro. El extremo fue expulsado en el duelo de dieciseisavos de final del curso pasado ante el Celta, que acabó con triunfo azulgrana por 1-4, y fue castigado con dos partidos de sanción.
Dani Rodríguez tuvo un encontronazo con el rival Yoel Crespo, que le dio una patada por detrás en el tiempo añadido fruto de la frustración de la derrota, pero el árbitro también mostró la tarjeta roja al extremo del Barça por su posterior reacción. Después de su expulsión, Dani Rodríguez se dirigió al colegiado con señales de disconformidad y le dedicó un ‘qué barbaridad’ para mostrar su desacuerdo con la decisión arbitral. Eso le costó los dos partidos de sanción y ya cumplió uno en la derrota contra el Badalona (1-2) en octavos, pero todavía le queda otro partido de cumplir en Barbastro.
Tras arrancar el curso lesionado, Dani Rodríguez ha sido uno de los jugadores más destacados en las últimas jornadas con el filial. En apenas cuatro partidos, el vasco ha anotado tres goles y ha repartido dos asistencias que han ayudado al conjunto de Albert Sánchez a no perder ningún partido con él en el campo. Si mantiene esta progresión no será raro verlo en algún partido del primer equipo este curso, siempre que las lesiones y las sanciones no lo impidan.
Lamentablemente, queremos informar a nuestros seguidores que Dani Rodríguez no podrá estar presente en la visita a Barbastro. A pesar de su deseo de participar en este evento tan especial, circunstancias imprevistas le han obligado a ausentarse.
Esperamos que comprendan la situación y le enviamos todo nuestro apoyo a Dani en este momento complicado. Agradecemos su comprensión y les mantendremos informados sobre su regreso a nuestras actividades. ¡Gracias por su apoyo!
Aunque el comunicado recién publicado por la RFEF ha arrojado un jarro de agua fría sobre las esperanzas del Barcelona de inscribir a Dani Olmo y Pau Víctor, este también trae buenas noticias.
En este también reconocen que el Órgano de Validación de Presupuestos de LaLiga ha resuelto ampliar el Límite de Coste de Plantilla Deportiva (límite salarial) del Barcelona. Así, el Barcelona entra en la regla 1:1 y tendrá más margen para incorporaciones e inscripciones.
¿En qué consiste la regla 1:1?
Básicamente la regla del 1:1 supone que un club puede gastar cada euro que ingresa en ventas o cesiones de jugadores para volver a fichar, pero con un matiz. Cuando un club compra un jugador el gasto que suponen esas operaciones se divide en los años de contrato por los que se firma. Hay que tener en cuenta además que el salario del jugador, ya sea un fichaje o una salida, también se contabiliza en el ingreso o el gasto, según los años de contrato por los que firman o que le quedaban por cumplir. Es decir, si se vende o cede a un jugador, además del traspaso se contabiliza el salario que el club se ahorra.
Es decir, si el Barcelona ficha a un jugador por 10 millones de euros con un salario de 1 millón al año durante cinco años, el espacio que necesitará crear será de 3 millones de euros, resultado de dividir el coste del fichaje entre los cinco años de contrato y sumarle su sueldo anual.
En el caso de los traspasos además hay que tener en cuenta que a la cantidad ingresada hay que restarle lo que le quedaba por amortizar del jugador. Si un futbolista fichado por 10 millones hace cinco temporadas es vendido cuando aún le quedan dos años de contrato y ahora se le vende por los mismos 10 millones, a esta cantidad habría que restarle los 4 millones que aún quedarían por amortizar, es decir, solo llegarían 6 millones de ingresos.
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¡Última hora! El caso Dani Olmo sigue dando que hablar en el mundo del fútbol. En este momento, estamos siguiendo en directo la inscripción del jugador en LaLiga y la medida cautelar solicitada por el Barcelona.
¿Qué pasará con el fichaje de Dani Olmo? ¿Se unirá finalmente al Barcelona o seguirá en su equipo actual? Sigue nuestra cobertura en vivo para no perderte ningún detalle de este apasionante caso. ¡No te lo pierdas! #CasoDaniOlmo #LaLiga #Barcelona #Fichajes
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No hubo milagro. No hubo un giro inesperado de guion. No hubo fumata blanca. El Barça no puede anotar en LaLiga ni disponer de Dani Olmo y Pau Víctor para la segunda vuelta de la temporada. Los dos futbolistas, a los que la patronal ya desinscribió el día 1 al no cumplir con la normativa de control económico, no volverán a vestir la camiseta azulgrana. No, al menos, este curso. Joan Laporta afronta un revés histórico a su gestión y ahora se abre un futuro incierto para los dos delanteros. Falta por confirmar si la entidad apura los últimos recursos: ir al Consejo Superior de Deportes o a los tribunales de nuevo. La intención inicial es hacerlo para disponer de la cautelar y así poder disponer de los dos profesionales.
El caso de Dani Olmo y Pau Víctor en el F.C. Barcelona trascenderá como un histórico error de gestión de los culés.
En un comunicado conjunto inédito, LaLiga y la RFEF han anunciado que rechazan la solicitud azulgrana: “La Comisión de Seguimiento del Convenio de Coordinación LALIGA-RFEF se ha reunido para abordar la solicitud de visado previo y tramitación de las licencias federativas de los jugadores D. Daniel Olmo Carvajal y D. Pau Víctor Delgado, cursadas por el FC Barcelona. Tras cumplirse el 3 de Enero de 2025 por parte del FCB los requisitos en materia de control económico de LALIGA y una vez completada por parte del Club la documentación pertinente, el Órgano de Validación de Presupuestos de LALIGA ha resuelto ampliar el Límite de Coste de Plantilla Deportiva del FCB desde la referida fecha. En este sentido, habiendo sido solicitadas las licencias para los referidos jugadores por parte del FC Barcelona, tras análisis de la normativa federativa aplicable la Comisión de Seguimiento están de acuerdo en no conceder el visado previo, ni la licencia definitiva solicitada por el FC Barcelona para los jugadores D. Daniel Olmo Carvajal y D. Pau Víctor Delgado de acuerdo con la interpretación literal de los artículos 130.2 y 141.5 del Reglamento General de la RFEF que impiden que un jugador cuya licencia se cancele, pueda en el transcurso de la misma temporada, obtener licencia en el mismo equipo del club al que ya estuviera vinculado”.
El presidente azulgrana se mostró optimista hasta el final, estaba seguro de su éxito, porque abrió diferentes y diversas vías para lograr las inscripciones de Dani Olmo y Pau Víctor y ajustar su economía a las directrices marcadas por LaLiga. Pero ni el recurso judicial ni la venta de los palcos VIP ni la petición a la RFEF para que diera nuevas licencias a sus profesionales tuvieron el efecto esperado por Joan Laporta. Estas operaciones han permitido a la institución recuperar la regla 1:1 (que le permite destinar cada euro que obtenga de una venta en fichar), pero no influyen en las anotaciones de los dos atacantes. Los dos profesionales, finalmente, no pueden ser inscritos este curso con el Barcelona. Dejan de pertenecer a la plantilla culé. Aunque la entidad se plantea tomar más medidas y acudir al CSD y a los tribunales.
Olmo, salida temporal
El internacional de Terrassa ya tenía estipulado en su contrato que si se producía esta situación, cuando lo ficharon el Barça ya arrastraba problemas con el Fair Play y, de hecho, el catalán tardó en ser inscrito en verano y lo logró gracias a la baja por lesión de larga duración de Christensen, que obtendría la carta de libertad. El exjugador del Leipzig está sin ficha y sin vínculo, y debe decidir hacia dónde dirige su futuro. El mediapunta no descarta, si finalmente las vías del CSD y los tribunales tampoco no fructifican, salir unos meses para regresar la próxima temporada al conjunto de Hansi Flick. Tiene ofertas, pero se ha mostrado optimista y confiado hasta el final en una solución favorable a su continuidad como azulgrana.
Recibió de Gerard Martín en el área, se marchó de Chardonnet y la envió a la red
Pau Víctor, por su parte, tiene firmada una relación con el Barcelona hasta junio de 2029, pero su contrato federativo expiró el 31 de diciembre porque en verano ya pactaron volver a inscribirlo a partir de enero. Lo más probable es que el Barça le ofrezca, no obstante, la carta de libertad y que renegocie su vínculo, si finalmente no puede continuar bajo las órdenes de Flick. El atacante estaba en el club de su vida y, como Dani Olmo, quiere seguir de azulgrana.
El Barcelona estaba decidido, hace unas horas, a acudir al Consejo Superior de Deportes o a los tribunales si la resolución definitiva era negativa, y ahora debe confirmarlo.
La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have officially rejected the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor for the upcoming season. This decision comes as a blow to both players, who were looking forward to continuing their careers in Spain.
The reasons for the rejection have not been made public, but it is believed to be related to financial issues or perhaps an administrative error. Regardless of the cause, this news is sure to disappoint fans of both players and their respective teams.
Olmo and Pau Víctor will now have to explore other options for their futures, whether that be finding new clubs in Spain or looking abroad for opportunities. It is a disappointing outcome for two talented players, but hopefully, they will be able to bounce back and continue their careers elsewhere.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
As things stand, neither Olmo, a €60 million ($62m) summer signing from RB Leipzig, nor Víctor will be able to play for Barça again until after the summer, with both players omitted from the squad for Saturday’s Copa del Rey trip to fourth-tier Barbastro.
However, a source told ESPN Barça plan to fight the decision in court after the club missed a Dec. 31 deadline to prove they were compliant with LaLiga’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations.
LaLiga say Barça finally provided the necessary documentation to have their spending limit for the season extended on Friday, but it came too late for Olmo and Víctor, who had their registrations cancelled on Wednesday.
“A commission of representatives from LaLiga and the RFEF met to address Barça’s request for federative licences for [Olmo and Víctor],” a statement said.
“Following the fulfilment of LaLiga’s FFP requirements by Barcelona on Jan. 3, with the club having completed the relevant documentation, LaLiga has decided to extend their spending cap from the aforementioned date.
“However, the commission agrees not to grant the licenses requested for the players [Olmo and Víctor] in accordance with the interpretation of articles 130.2 and 141.5 of the RFEF’s general regulations that prevent a player whose license is cancelled from, during the course of the same season, obtaining a license at the same club to which they were already linked.”
In a statement, Barça said they will appeal the decision at Spain’s supreme sports court, the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD).
“Barcelona expresses their disagreement with today’s decision and will proceed to file the appropriate appeal before the CSD,” the statement said.
“Regarding the matter of the registrations, the club will not comment again until the matter is resolved by the CSD.”
Olmo and Víctor both signed for Barça permanently last summer but were only registered temporarily at the end of August.
Barça took advantage of a rule that allows clubs to use up to 80% of the salary due to an injured player — in this case Andreas Christensen — to register the duo until the end of 2024.
That gave the Catalan club four months to prove to LaLiga they were compliant with the league’s FFP rules and, therefore, extend Olmo and Víctor’s registrations until the end of the season.
After losing two court hearings against the interpretations of LaLiga’s regulations, Barça agreed a deal to sell VIP boxes at Spotify Camp Nou, which is currently being redeveloped, for around €100m.
However, they were unable to prove to LaLiga that the deal had been closed and provide proof of funds until Jan. 3, according to the league, with Olmo and Víctor already unregistered by that point.
Sources have told ESPN that Barça will take the case as far and high as they can in a bid to have the players available for the second half of the campaign.
Sources close to the players, meanwhile, have said they are extremely disappointed but still harbour hopes of staying at the club despite having clauses in their deals that would allow them to leave for free in the event they are not registered.
Neither player plans to execute that clause, the sources added, but the options to leave on a short-term basis are not straight forward, either.
Barça cannot loan them out for six months as they do not have their federative licences, while rescinding their contracts to allow them to sign a deal elsewhere before re-signing them in the summer also poses plenty of complications.
Olmo has made 15 appearances since re-joining Barça, who he left for Dinamo Zagreb as a 16-year-old, and scored six goals, while Víctor has scored twice in 17 outings, although he has started just one of those games.
LaLiga has denied Barcelona’s attempt to re-register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor in the squad for the upcoming season. The decision comes after the club’s financial struggles and inability to meet the league’s salary cap requirements.
Barcelona had hoped to include both players in their squad for the new season, as they look to rebuild their team after a disappointing campaign last year. However, LaLiga has deemed that the club’s financial situation does not allow for the re-registration of the players.
This setback is a blow to Barcelona’s plans for the upcoming season, as both Olmo and Pau Víctor were seen as key players in the team’s future. The club will now have to reassess their options and look for alternative solutions to strengthen their squad.
It remains to be seen how Barcelona will respond to this decision and what impact it will have on their performance in the upcoming season. Fans will be eagerly awaiting updates on the club’s transfer plans and how they will navigate the challenges ahead.
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El Barça finalizó el 2024 y ha arrancado el 2025 con mucho ruido ajeno a lo que es el terreno de juego, pero este sábado tendrá que dejar de lado todo el caos provocado por los ‘casos Olmo y Pau Víctor’ para enfocarse en el debut en Copa del Rey. El equipo azulgrana se estrena esta tarde en competición copera esta temporada contra el Barbastro (19h / Movistar Plus +) en un partido trampa en Huesca, ya que a pesar de la diferencia de nivel entre ambos equipos (el equipo oscense está en descenso de 2ª RFEF), el choque no se prevé nada fácil, tal como ya pasó el año pasado en los mismos dieciseisavos de final.
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Para ello el entrenador culé Hansi Flick confirmó los 20 jugadores convocados para el duelo en Huesca. En la convocatoria no están los dos jugadores mencionados, Pau Víctor y Dani Olmo, que siguen pendientes a que se resuelva el caso de sus inscripciones. Sí que entra en la lista el delantero del filial Toni Fernández, que podría debutar con el primer equipo hoy. Tampoco está Raphinha, que es un jugador clave para Flick y se quedará en Barcelona. Una decisión que se prevé como una gestión de cargas del brasileño.
Estos son los jugadores convocados para el partido de esta tarde: Iñaki Peña, Szczesny, Astralagada (porteros); Koundé, Araujo, Iñigo Martínez, Eric, Cubarsí, Sergi Domínguez, Gerard Martín, Balde; Casadó, Frenkie de Jong,Gavi, Pedri, Pablo Torre, Fermín;Lewandowski, Ansu Fati y Toni Fernández. Por lesión tampoco están en la lista Marc Bernal y Ter Stegen, KO toda la temporada, y Ferran, Lamine Yamal,Fort y Christensen.
¡Flick da la primera lista de 2025 sin Dani Olmo ni Pau Víctor y sin otro jugador clave para Barbastro!
El entrenador del equipo Barbastro ha sorprendido a todos al dar a conocer la primera lista de convocados para la temporada 2025, en la que no figuran dos jugadores clave: Dani Olmo y Pau Víctor. Ambos futbolistas han sido piezas fundamentales en el equipo en los últimos años, por lo que su ausencia ha generado sorpresa entre los aficionados.
Además de la ausencia de Olmo y Víctor, Flick también ha dejado fuera a otro jugador clave cuyo nombre no ha sido revelado. Esta decisión ha generado especulaciones entre los seguidores del equipo, que se preguntan cuál es la razón detrás de esta exclusión.
Sin embargo, el entrenador ha asegurado que la lista ha sido elaborada pensando en el bien del equipo y en la necesidad de dar oportunidades a nuevos talentos. A pesar de las ausencias, Flick confía en que los jugadores convocados darán lo mejor de sí en la temporada que se avecina.
Los aficionados de Barbastro esperan con ansias ver cómo se desenvolverá el equipo sin algunos de sus jugadores más destacados, y confían en que Flick sabrá llevar al equipo hacia la victoria a pesar de las ausencias. ¡Vamos Barbastro!
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This crisis encompasses sporting, financial, and reputational dimensions.
On the pitch, Hansi Flick’s squad now faces the prospect of losing their marquee summer signing – an asset who could soon walk away for free.
Financially, Barcelona must pay the full 48 million euros (£40m) to RB Leipzig for Olmo, with his long-term contract running until 2030.
They will also have to pay him the totality of his contract, a clause added to his contract, which leaves the club with a financial gap of 120 million euros (£100m).
And reputationally, the debacle tarnishes the club’s image, particularly that of its president, Joan Laporta, who was voted in in March 2021.
Laporta, who has personally overseen this issue, now finds himself exposed.
Since the departure of chief executive Ferran Reverter in early 2022 and the resignation of economic vice-president Eduard Romeu in 2024, two of 20 directors who have left unable to accept the way things are run at the club, Laporta has declined to fill these crucial roles, leaving him solely accountable for the fallout.
The situation deteriorated further after Barcelona faced two swift legal defeats in less than 72 hours before the La Liga deadline, as courts in Barcelona rejected the club’s requests for provisional measures to register Olmo and Víctor.
With these avenues closed, Laporta turned to the Spanish Football Federation, requesting new licenses for both players, something that is not accepted by La Liga who do not allow a player to be registered by the same club twice in a season.
The Federation, led by Rafael Louzan, has little incentive to challenge La Liga, especially after Tebas was recently appointed as Louzan’s vice president. This alignment has left Barcelona without allies, rendering Laporta’s appeals futile.
The last glimmer of hope for Barcelona lies in a proposed deal to sell VIP seats at the future Spotify Camp Nou for 100–120 million euros – an amount significantly lower than what the club could have secured under less desperate circumstances.
Barcelona claims the funds have been paid, albeit after La Liga’s deadline, and are now attempting to convince the league to accept the payment and allow the registration of players.
However, La Liga maintains Barcelona failed to submit the required documentation confirming the transaction before the deadline, meaning the club cannot re-register Olmo or Víctor.
Ironically, while Barcelona may be blocked from re-registering their players, they might still be able to sign new ones. Yet, to facilitate any of this, the club has had to pre-sell seats in a stadium that does not yet exist.
Barcelona’s pursuit of Spain midfielder Dani Olmo has hit a roadblock as the Catalan giants find themselves in a state of uncertainty. The young playmaker, who currently plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, has been linked with a move back to his boyhood club, but negotiations have stalled.
With Barcelona facing financial difficulties and struggling to offload high-earning players, they have been unable to make a concrete offer for Olmo. The 23-year-old, who impressed at Euro 2020 with his performances for Spain, is eager to return to La Liga and test himself in one of Europe’s top leagues.
However, with Barcelona unable to guarantee Champions League football next season and with their managerial situation still up in the air, Olmo finds himself in limbo. The talented midfielder is keen for a resolution to his future as he looks to continue his development at the highest level.
As Barcelona’s board continues to navigate their financial woes and search for a new head coach, Olmo’s potential return to Camp Nou remains uncertain. The player, who came through the club’s La Masia academy before joining Dinamo Zagreb and then Leipzig, is seen as a key target for Barcelona’s rebuilding project.
But with time running out in the transfer window and with Barcelona’s future direction still unclear, Olmo finds himself in a difficult position. Will he make the move back to his former club, or will he have to explore other options to continue his career progression? Only time will tell as the saga surrounding Dani Olmo’s future continues to unfold.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta appears to have offered an update on the current situation regarding Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration in a rather curious way.
Gerard Romero reports that the Barca chief has, rather bizarrely, offered the following information as part of his WhatsApp status
Here’s what it says: “The RFEF, having heard FCB’s arguments, agrees with them in the sense as article 130.2 of the RFEF Regulations is NOT applicable to the Dani Olmo/Pau Víctor case, given that, in this case, the players have left the club, not because of the club’s will (which is what this article foresees) but because of factors outside and contrary to the club’s will.
“It is an undisputed fact that both the club and the players want to remain in the FCB squad for the whole season. This interpretation of the rule is consistent with the obvious purpose of that article, which is precisely to promote the stability of the composition of the players‘ squads, don’t know the reason.”
According to Romero, Laporta swiftly deleted the post, but not before it had quickly spread across social media. The journalist went on to say he was baffled as to why Laporta would post such information as his WhatsApp status.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are said to be waiting for a response from the RFEF and La Liga after presenting further documentation regarding income received from the sale of VIP boxes.
In a recent development, Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has seemingly offered an update on the situation regarding Dani Olmo’s potential transfer to the club. According to reports, Laporta reached out to Olmo via WhatsApp to discuss the possibility of the midfielder returning to his former club.
While details of the conversation have not been disclosed, it is believed that Laporta expressed his interest in bringing Olmo back to Barcelona and discussed the terms of a potential deal. The news has sparked excitement among Barcelona fans, who have been eagerly anticipating the return of the talented midfielder.
Olmo, who currently plays for RB Leipzig, has been a standout performer for the German club and has attracted interest from several top European clubs. Barcelona’s interest in the player is well-known, and Laporta’s recent communication with Olmo suggests that a move could be on the cards.
As negotiations between the two clubs continue, Barcelona fans will be hoping that a deal can be reached to bring Olmo back to the Camp Nou. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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Dani Olmo’s agent has also spoken out but only to express his faith in Joan Laporta and Co, and to reiterate that the forward wants to stay at Barca.
In the meantime, reports in Spain claim that both La Liga and the RFEF have not changed their minds about the registration status of both players despite Barca’s latest attempts.
The club are said to have received the missing payment of €28 million for the sale of VIP boxes and expect now to return to the 1:1 rule.
All of the documentation has been sent to La Liga but that has not changed the situation of Olmo and Victor who were deregistered on January 1.
There’s talk now that the case could end up in court once again and also that some clubs are putting pressure on La Liga and the RFEF not to accept the registrations.
Some clarity or even an explanation from Barcelona would be very welcome right now but certainly does not look like it will happen today at least.
Meanwhile, Barcelona return to action on the pitch on Saturday in the Copa del Rey, with Olmo and Victor ineligible to play as things stand.
Barcelona’s ongoing struggles in the transfer market have taken another hit as Dani Olmo and Pau Victor still remain unregistered for the club. Despite being highly touted prospects, the young duo have yet to make an appearance for the Catalan giants due to administrative issues.
Fans have been left frustrated and confused as to why two promising talents have been left in limbo, with many questioning the club’s handling of the situation. With Barcelona already struggling on the pitch, the news of Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration issues has only added to the growing sense of unrest at the club.
As the saga continues, Barcelona will need to quickly resolve the situation in order to avoid further embarrassment and potential backlash from fans. The clock is ticking, and time is running out for the club to get their house in order before it’s too late.
Rarely can a trademark have fitted so well, even if it wasn’t exactly the way Dani Olmo intended it. Not long ago the Barcelona midfielder lodged his own brand with the EU; it includes the goalscoring celebration, borrowed from the Milwaukee Bucks basketball player Damian Lillard, in which he stands pointing at his wrist, asking what time it is.
Over the past few days, the image has been everywhere and everyone has been asking the same question, staring at their watches, waiting as the seconds tick by. The answer of course is: Olmo Time. Or it was supposed to be.
Instead, time has run out on him. Signed from RB Leipzig on a deal worth almost €60m, Olmo has five months later been removed from the squad after the 31 December deadline passed without Barcelona meeting the league’s salary limit rules. By the following morning Olmo and the forward Pau Víctor – who was entitled to spend New Year’s Day hopping about shouting: “Hello?! I’m here too!” – had disappeared from La Liga’s website. Neither will be able to play for Barcelona again this season. They will have to wait until the summer to be registered – if the club can meet the financial fair play rules then.
A clause in Olmo’s contract means he can now walk away for free, the €48m Barcelona paid in an initial fee having bought them 15 games, although his agent insists he will not. He cannot be loaned – for Barcelona to do so, they would have to be in possession of his registration – and he cannot be re-signed as a free agent. He also can’t play for Spain. “Barcelona is his first and last option,” the agent, Andy Bara, said; he also said: “Dani loves playing games, not watching them.”
Barcelona continue to look for a solution, a way of rescuing this, and although the club denied they had asked for or been given a three-day moratorium, few have taken the deadline as definitive. There has been silence from Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga and a man you normally can’t shut up. The Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has not spoken publicly either but he is optimistic, they say; thing is, Laporta is always optimistic. “We don’t have to suffer over Pau Víctor and Dani Olmo; we’re working on it and will get there as we always have,” he said in September, and look where that ended up. If, that is, this has ended.
When Laporta took power he inherited a club in technical bankruptcy. Having stood on a simple promise – to keep Lionel Messi – the first thing he did was preside of the departure of the best player in the club’s history. Keen to reduce the salary mass but equally determined to keep signing, he came up with what he described as palancas, or levers: the sale of assets and future income from TV rights to ticketing and of 49% of the club’s media arm.
Issues were kicked down the road, problems left for another day, promises made. They walked a tightrope, for ever on edge. Deals were done, often last minute and after the season had begun. Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, Ferran Torres and Vitor Roque cost nearly €200m. Palancas paid for Lewandowski. Gerard Piqué took a pay cut so the club could sign Memphis Depay and Eric García. A legal challenge led to Gavi’s inclusion. Bank guarantees got Koundé through. A league rule allowing 80% of an injured player’s wage to be assigned to an alternative, salaries moved around the spreadsheet, allowed them to register Vitor Roque and Iñigo Martínez. One way or another, they got there. With Olmo, they haven’t, so far.
‘We have to accept it’: Barça’s Hansi Flick bemoans Dani Olmo’s registration trouble – video
On Friday lunchtime Hansi Flick did his usual pre-match press conference, before Barcelona’s Copa del Rey game against Barbastro, at about the time the president was turning up at the training ground. Olmo and Víctor were ready to play, Flick said, if they can play, which was a big if, startling that the possibility was even contemplated. “Honestly, I don’t like this situation,” the coach said. Olmo’s agent, meanwhile, called it “stressful” but said his client was trying to stay calm; he could not call it surprising.
There is a reason the clause was written into his contract: because his lawyers wanted to protect him from precisely this scenario.
When Olmo signed with a contract that costs the club €21m a year in accounting terms, Barcelona were about €60m over their €426m salary limit. Forced to sit out the first two weeks of the season, Olmo was eventually registered in week three thanks to Andreas Christensen’s achilles problem, but only until 31 December. It was a method used before and a better option than rushing a deal with Nike, according to Laporta. “We’re not at 1:1 [a balanced budget] because we don’t want to be,” he said in September.
There was plenty of time, after all; a short-term solution would do for now. When that agreement was signed off, Laporta described it as the biggest kit deal in football history but La Liga informed Barcelona they had still not reached their targets. In fact, the gap between the operating cost and the salary limit established by the league had widened. They had five months to fix it; now they were into the final weeks. Barcelona reassured Olmo’s camp that this would be resolved by the deadline, but time was running out.
They launched two lawsuits that challenged the authority of the league’s delegate commission to set the rules on salary limits, claimed that refusing to register Olmo and Víctor was an infringement of their workers’ rights and argued that 80% of the injured Marc-André ter Stegen’s salary could be earmarked for Olmo, even though they had already used that to sign Wojciech Szczesny as an emergency replacement. They did not only lose both cases; the judges were dismissive of their arguments, rejected as little more than a transparent attempt to chance their arm, to buy some time and get the league’s decision put on hold.
There was one more option. Eventually Barcelona claimed to have closed the sale of VIP boxes in the new, still unfinished Camp Nou to unnamed investors from the Middle East for an announced amount briefed to be between €100m and €120m; half of the initial valuation but this was an emergency. La Liga, though, said that seeing a draft contract was not enough; it needed proof of payment, guarantees that the deal was real. It had been here before, after all: the palanca for the sale of the Barcelona Vision content platform was never paid, suspicions raised about the true nature of the agreement.
Joan Laporta has been unable to convince La Liga that Barcelona have met their financial requirements. Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
That proof didn’t come in, although Barcelona are still briefing that it is on the way and that they would be prepared to go to court again to get it through, even beyond deadline. And so, with three hours left on New Year’s Eve, and everyone staring at their watches, Barcelona announced they had asked the Spanish federation – not the league – to provide Olmo and Víctor with a new registration, not an extension of the existing one, even though a player cannot be registered to the same club twice in the same season.
That request was met with silence from the governing body, upon which, in any case, the decision does not depend, and an hour after that, La Liga announced that Barcelona had done “nothing … to allow them to register any player from 2 January”.
This time, Olmo Time didn’t come.
Deal breaker: how time ran out for Barcelona and left Dani Olmo in limbo
Barcelona’s pursuit of Dani Olmo has been one of the most talked-about transfer sagas of the summer. The talented Spanish midfielder was heavily linked with a move to the Catalan giants, but as the transfer window drew to a close, it became increasingly clear that a deal was not going to materialize.
Despite Barcelona’s strong interest in Olmo, negotiations between the club and his current team, RB Leipzig, failed to reach a breakthrough. With time running out before the transfer deadline, Barcelona were unable to meet Leipzig’s asking price for the 23-year-old, leaving Olmo in a state of limbo.
The missed opportunity to sign Olmo is a significant blow for Barcelona, who are in need of reinforcements following a disappointing season. The versatile midfielder, who can play in a variety of positions across the attacking midfield, would have been a valuable addition to Ronald Koeman’s squad.
Now, Barcelona must regroup and look elsewhere for potential signings to strengthen their squad. The failure to secure Olmo’s signature serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the club in the current transfer market.
As for Olmo, he will continue to ply his trade at Leipzig for the time being, but it remains to be seen whether Barcelona will reignite their interest in the future. In the meantime, the talented midfielder will have to focus on performing at his best for his current club while keeping his options open for a potential move in the future.
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