Messi agent slams Barcelona over 'OUTRAGEOUS' €60m Olmo transfer

Suraj Radia

8 Aug 2024 18:00 BST
3 min read

The agent responsible for bringing Lionel Messi to Barcelona has described the Catalan side’s signing of Dani Olmo as ‘outrageous’ and also revealed how close the club were to signing Kylian Mbappe.

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Olmo is set to join Barca after a deal was finally agreed with RB Leipzig for the 26-year-old, who was born in Catalonia and played for the club’s academy from the ages of nine to 16.

The midfielder had a release clause in his contract of €60 million but Barca have instead brokered a deal of €55m plus €7m in add-ons, with a medical already passed and an announcement imminent.

Current ETV

Dani Olmo

M, AM (C)

RB Leipzig

Dani Olmo

M, AM (C)

RB Leipzig

ETV Range

€23.8M - €39.7M

However, Josep Maria Minguella, an agent with a long history with Barcelona, questioned the deal, claiming the club do not need Olmo and that the amount was ‘excessive’.

"Dani Olmo is not bad,” he told SPORT. “He is a good player. He has good technique, quality but I think the price is outrageous because Barça does not need him so much in his position, there are plenty of players to occupy that space.

“For Olmo, €60m is excessive for a signing that is not totally decisive. If Olmo does not play, someone else will and nothing will happen.”

© IMAGO - Dani Olmo starred for Spain at Euro 2024 this summer.

Barcelona 'paying consequences' for turning down Mbappe

Minguella also had his doubts over the appointment of Hansi Flick and the pursuit of Nico Williams, however another one of his gripes came with how Barcelona missed out on Kylian Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer.

“Barça had Mbappé on the table for €140m, but they signed Dembélé,” Minguella said. “When you make mistakes like that, you pay the consequences.

“The coaches at the time considered that Dembélé fit better into Barça's system. These are very serious mistakes that Barça have already made in the past.”

Barcelona are still hoping to sign Williams this summer but the Olmo transfer will likely represent a depletion of their resources, with sales necessary before any further deals can be struck.