Just when you think Barcelona are back on track, a timely reminder of their laughable financial situation manifests.
After a tumultuous 2023/24 campaign which saw Xavi Hernandez depart in its aftermath, Hansi Flick has sought to return stability and some bloody good football to Catalonia. The start of the German’s tenure has been impressive, but there’s reason to believe the second half of 2024/25 will be trickier than the opening act.
Barca’s knack of kicking the can down the road for the sake of short-term respite is rearing its ugly head once more in the case of Dani Olmo. Signed in the summer from RB Leipzig, the club risk losing one of Flick’s most trusted lieutenants for free in the January transfer window.
Here’s why.
Barcelona have been in a perpetual battle to register players since Joan Laporta returned as president in 2021. However, while the situation with Olmo isn’t necessarily new, it is unique.
Barca’s issues when registering new players boils down to La Liga’s salary limit. Each team in the division boasts a salary limit depending on the amount of revenue they generate, and the Blaugrana have been operating above their limit for quite some time.
The club were forced to offload salaries and increase revenue streams in order to register Olmo, who joined Barca for £50m on a six-year deal. They did so thanks to the long-term injury sustained by Andreas Christensen at the end of August. La Liga allow clubs to allocate 80% of any injured player’s salary to register another player. While 80% of Christensen’s salary wasn’t enough to cover Olmo’s long-term contract, a new salary cap rule was created by La Liga which allowed Barca to register the Spaniard after he missed the first two games of the season.
However, this new rule only allowed the club to register Olmo for the first-half of the 2024/25 season. This four-month allowance expires on 31 December 2024 and Barca are scampering in a bid to find a solution before the deadline.
The clock is ticking but Barcelona remain hopeful of registering Olmo in time for the remainder of the season. There’s hope the club’s new sponsorship deal with Nike will immediately supply the requisite revenue, but Barca have also explored the possibility of selling VIP boxes in advance for the glitzier Camp Nou and could also pull more financial levers by once again turning to Barca Studios.
Risky bank guarantees could also be signed by board members to register Olmo. The total amount they need to comply with La Liga’s salary limit is €60m. Laporta and others opted for bank guarantees when registering Joao Cancelo, Joao Felix and Jules Kounde.
There’s a legal avenue to take, too. Barcelona have filed a complaint to the city’s commercial court requesting Olmo, as well as Pau Victor, be registered as they claim the players are being denied their right to work. A decision in the case is set to be revealed on 27 December, just four days before the deadline.
It’s far from an ideal situation, but sporting director Deco expressed confidence over Olmo’s registration ahead of Barca’s 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League: “I am sure we will be able to register Dani Olmo,” he said.
“The club is working on that. Internal discussions are taking place and I can’t say much more here in public, but we will fix that.”
Olmo is in a difficult spot but his camp are reportedly confident that the situation will be resolved and the player will be registered for the second half of the season. However, if the worst-case scenario plays out, Catalan media have said that Olmo has a clause in his contract which will allow him to leave Barcelona for free in the January transfer window.
Thus, there’s a possibility that Olmo will play his last game for the club when they take on Atletico Madrid this Saturday.
The Spaniard was sidelined for a month with a muscle injury in the autumn but has played 14 times for his new club in all competitions, recording seven goal contributions. He’s Flick’s preferred option for the #10 role in the German’s 4-2-3-1 and his absence will doubtlessly be hard felt if he can’t be registered for the second half of the season.
Olmo was signed to replace Ilkay Gundogan after he returned to Manchester City, but his arrival has so far stunted the once blossoming Fermin Lopez, who came on strong during the first half of 2024 for both club and country. He’s a natural replacement for Olmo, but we could also see Pedri perform a more advanced role with either Gavi or Frenkie de Jong earning more minutes in the pivot.
