Just when you think Barcelona are back on track, a timely reminder of their laughable financial situation pops up.
After a turbulent 2023/24 campaign that saw Xavi Hernandez leave in its wake, Hansi Flick has sought to restore stability and bloody good football to Catalonia. The German's start to his tenure has been impressive, but there are reasons to believe that the second half of 2024/25 will be trickier than the opening act.
Barca's knack for kicking the box down the stretch for the sake of a short-term break is rearing its ugly head once again 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 January. tRANSFER window.
Here's why.
Barcelona have been in a constant battle to sign players since Joan Laporta returned as president in 2021. However, while the situation with Olmo is not necessarily new, it is unique.
Barça's problems in signing up new players come down to La Liga's salary cap. Each team in the division boasts a salary cap depending on how much revenue they generate, and the Blaugrana have been operating above their cap for quite some time.
The club were forced to shed wages and increase revenue streams in order to sign Olmo, who joined Barca for £50million on a six-year deal. They did so thanks to the long-term injury suffered by Andreas Christensen at the end of August. League allow clubs to share 80% of any injured player's salary to sign up another player. While 80% of Christensen's salary was not enough to cover Olmo's long-term contract, a new wage rule was put in place by La Liga which allowed Barca to sign the Spaniard after he missed the first two games of the season.
However, this new rule only allowed the club to sign Olmo for the first half of the 2024/25 season. That four-month extension expires on December 31, 2024, and Barca are trying to find a solution before the deadline.
The clock is ticking, but Barcelona remain hopeful of signing Olmo in time for the remainder of the season. It is hoped that the club's new sponsorship deal with Nike will immediately provide much-needed revenue, but Barca have also explored the possibility of selling VIP boxes in advance of the more glamorous Camp Nou and could also attract more financial leverage by back again to Barca Studios.
Risky bank guarantees can also be signed by board members to register Olmo. The total amount they need to meet La Liga's salary cap is 60 million euros. Laporta and others opted for bank guarantees when signing Joao Cancelo, Joao Felix and Jules Kounde.
There is also a legal way to get. Barcelona have lodged a complaint with the city's commercial court demanding that Olmo, as well as Pau Victor, be registered as they claim the players are being denied the right to work. The decision on this matter is expected to be issued on December 27, just four days before the deadline.
It is far from an ideal situation, but sports director Deco expressed confidence in Olmo's registration before Barca's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in Champions League“I'm sure we'll be able to sign Dani Olmo,” he said.
“The club is working on this. Internal discussions are ongoing and I can't say more here in public, but we will sort it out.”
Olmo is in a tough spot, but his camp are reportedly confident the situation will be resolved and the player will be signed up for the second half of the season. However, should the worst-case scenario happen, Catalan media have said that Olmo has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave Barcelona for free in the January transfer window.
Thus, there is a possibility that Olmo will play his last game for the club when they face Atletico Madrid this Saturday.
The Spaniard missed a month with a muscle injury in the autumn, but has made 14 appearances for his new club in all competitions, scoring seven goals. He is Flick's preferred option for the number 10 role in the German's 4-2-3-1 and his absence will no doubt be felt if he cannot be signed for the second half of the season.
Olmo was signed to replace Ilkay Gundogan after returning to Manchester Citybut his arrival has so far hampered the once-thriving Fermin Lopez, who featured strongly during the first half of 2024 for both club and country. He is a natural replacement for Olmo, but we could also see Pedri play a more advanced role with Gavi or Frenkie de Jong earning more minutes at pivot.