Barcelona CAN'T register €62m Dani Olmo as LaLiga season kicks off

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Aug 2024 11:11 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona will be without marquee recruit Dani Olmo for their LaLiga opener against Valencia, according to a report.

The Blaugrana broke the bank to re-sign their former La Masia product from RB Leipzig. The cash-strapped Catalans showed themselves willing to pay up to €62 million for the 26-year-old after missing out on top target Nico Williams.

Olmo's return after a decade away in Croatia and Germany is supposed to be a fairytale homecoming, with the attacking midfielder keen to prove that the club hierarchy was wrong not to bet on him as a teenager.

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However, as the Vitor Roque situation has already shown - the player joining his dream club but now seemingly being on the verge of leaving after six months - fairytales can quickly turn into horror stories at Barcelona.

Indeed, Olmo's return is already threatening to turn sour.

Olmo not registered

Already rumoured earlier this week and now seemingly confirmed, Olmo has not been registered for Barcelona's LaLiga opener against Valencia on Saturday.

However, contrary to earlier reports, it is claimed that Olmo missing the Valencia game is not due to financial reasons. MARCA, who broke the news, insists that Barcelona have the Financial Fair Play wiggle room to eventually register the Spaniard.

READ MORE: Latest Barcelona transfer news

This weekend's omission, it is claimed, is simply for fitness reasons, with Olmo having had only three full training sessions with his new club since joining. The report states that "it is expected that Olmo will be able to be registered for next weekend's match against Athletic Bilbao."

Defender Inigo Martinez, meanwhile, will make the squad for Valencia despite rumours about a potential departure. Though a free transfer signing last summer, there were concerns about Barcelona's ability to register him as he is on a sizeable salary that includes his signing-on fee.