Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of completing a €120 million deal that will theoretically allow the Catalans to sign Dani Olmo for the rest of the season.
Olmo only arrived in the summer, returning to his boyhood club for €55m (£45.6m) transfer 11 years after leaving the academy in search of first team opportunities. Stuck in a dangerous financial situation in recent years, Barcelona struggles with the strict economic regulations of La Liga were underway.
Hansi Flick could only call on his new attacking midfielder from the third week of the season. The club found room within their allocated salary caps after Andreas Christensen’s injury allowed them to use 80% of the Dane’s salary to accommodate Olm.
That short-term fix was expires December 31. Barcelona desperately appealed to the city’s commercial court to extend the deadline, giving them more time to raise the necessary funds, but had that request rejected on Friday. Like the saturation of first league clubs circled Olmowho would become a free agent in January if a deal is not reached before the end of 2024, Barcelona appear to have found a last-minute bailout.
Club chairman Joan Laporta has agreed to sell future VIP seating rights at Camp Nou over the next 20 years in exchange for around €120m (£100m), according to the Spanish publication. SPORT.
The buyer is vaguely named as a “Qatari fund” and has already signed a contract that still awaits Laporta’s handwriting. The Barcelona boss is thought to be waiting “until the last minute” – ie. deadline of December 31 – to ensure that everything is ready for Olmo’s future.
La Liga were in negotiations in the hope of avoiding another surprise verdict. Barcelona thought they had cleared the necessary funds to sign Olmo – and striker Pau Victor, whose future hangs in the balance – when they agreed a lucrative deal with Nike earlier this month, only to be told they were still short.
Barcelona continued their failed attempt to expand the Olmo case by filing another lawsuit against La Liga – this time with the number one court. A decision is expected on Monday, December 30, but would be meaningless if Barcelona finalize the seating deal.
The expected nine-figure income should not only ensure that Olmo can continue to play for Barcelona in 2025, but will also allow the club greater flexibility in the upcoming transfer window. If the deal goes as reported, the Catalan giants will finally reach “1:1” – the financial threshold that allows them to spend a euro for every euro they earn.
Olmo, for his part, never showed any concern and was the first to take to the pitch for Barcelona’s public training session on December 29.
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