Barcelona remain defiantly “optimistic” about their chances of securing Dani Olmo’s registration despite missing La Liga’s December 31, 2024 deadline, according to a report in Spain.
Olmo was left out Barcelonateam for the first two weeks of the season after the (€60m) £50m move from RB Leipzig to Catalonia as there was no room in La Liga’s strict budget for his wages. A serious injury to Andreas Christensen allowed Barcelona to hand Olmo a six-month registration, but the deadline for its renewal expired at the end of 2024.
The club had two attempts to extend the deadline rejected by the city courts and Olmo is officially removed from the La Liga record for the season on January 1. According to Article 130.2 of the RFEF General Rules: “A player may only be registered for one club team during the same season.” As Olmo’s registration has expired, theoretically he should not be allowed to re-register with Barcelona until the summer.
However, the club are adamant that Olmo – and young striker Pau Victor, who finds himself in the same unfortunate position – will be able to play again in La Liga for the club this season. According to the Spanish edition SPORTthe solution to this situation is described as “almost certain”.
The president of the club was believed to be Joan Laporta collected about 120 million euros by selling the future rights to VIP seats at the Camp Nou for the next 20 years in an agreement with unnamed Qatari investors, providing the economic injection needed not only to register Olmo and Victor, but also to achieve the 1:1 rule, which allows the club to spend every euro who earn.
La Liga has reportedly been kept abreast of any developments to avoid further upsets, such as when club contract with Nike it was considered insufficient value, but the Spanish league released a statement on New Year’s Eve that said: “FC Barcelona has not presented an alternative that would, in accordance with LALIGA’s economic control regulations, allow the registration of any player from next January 2.”
Funding from Laporta’s sitting deal was not guaranteed until the end of 2024. Just two days later, reports claimed the money had been “confirmed”. This development, along with the belief that Barcelona can justify Olmo’s situation as an “exceptional case”, has bolstered the club’s confidence.
Olmo has remained publicly calm – as well as his manager Hansi Flick. However, Barcelona are anxious to finalize this sordid affair before Flick’s pre-match press conference at 12:00 GMT (4:00 PT, 7:00 ET) on Friday, January 3.
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