- 7 hours ago
How Dani Olmo could cost €168m and send Barcelona into crisis
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 3 Jan 2025 18:43 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona have been placed in a state of crisis over Dani Olmo’s registration, which threatens to cost the club millions if it is not resolved in their favour.
Olmo is not being allowed to be registered because Barca’s finances do not weigh up against LaLiga’s stringent Financial Fair Play (FFP) measures. The Camp Nou side have dramatically exceeded their wage bill and they have been blocked from registering the player as a consequence.
Olmo was only allowed to play in the first half of the season because of a serious injury to Andreas Christensen. This allowed the club to exploit a loophole to allow the player to be registered.
Now the Spanish league have rejected the Blaugrana’s appeals to have this dispensation extended because of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury. Twice they have had courts knock back their pleas.
Barcelona are desperately seeking to pull another economic lever based on selling VIP seats in their renovated Camp Nou to allow Olmo to sign, and if they are unsuccessful, the consequences will be catastrophic.
STATS
Dani Olmo
M (C)
Barcelona
Dani Olmo
M (C)
Barcelona
Dani Olmo threatens to spark Barcelona crisis
Should Barca fail to register Dani Olmo, it is a move that could cost the club €168 million.
They will be liable to pay his full €48m transfer fee from RB Leipzig but on top of that will have to pay the full value of the player’s contract, which is worth €120m. Olmo, meanwhile, be eligible to leave on a free transfer.
Clubs are already circling. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are among those credited with an interest. Agent Andy Bara has played down the interest for now.
“It’s a stressful situation for Dani as it would be for any other player. But he’s a great player and person, he’s trying to be calm,” he told GiveMeSport.
“Of course, Dani is a winner and he loves to play the games, not to watch them. We are not negotiating with any club.
“Dani is a Barcelona player and he wants to be a Barcelona player. He has made a big effort in his life to be at Barcelona. It was his desire for a long time. Barcelona is the first and last option. Dani, his father, family, me, we’re not thinking about other options.”
If Olmo cannot play for Barcelona in LaLiga, though, he cannot play for them in the Champions League and will not be eligible to play for Spain either. He will be stuck in footballing limbo.
On top of this, it would generate a crisis of confidence in the leadership of Barcelona president Joan Laporta, whose actions at the top of the club are being increasingly scrutinised as the club are increasingly under the sway of financial institutions and not the fans.
If they were to lose €168m on Olmo, it could be the last straw, with the financial strain such a blow would place on the club enormous.
