Barcelona are planning to appeal to the Spanish government in a desperate final bid to re-sign Dani Olmo after La Liga and the national football federation officially rejected the club's plea.
Olmo has unwittingly found himself in the eye of an unprecedented legal dispute. After arriving at Barcelona for a fee of €60m in the summer, the Spain international had to wait until the third week of the season before the club could find room within their tight budget to sign him. However, this was only a temporary measure which expired on December 31st.
Spanish National Football Federation (RFEF) regulations prevent any player from obtaining a second registration to play for the same club in a single season. Barcelona twice went to the city's commercial courts to argue against La Liga's ability to enforce these rules, but were it was swiftly rejected in both cases.
A joint statement from La Liga and the RFEF officially confirmed Barcelona's last-ditch plea to re-sign the two players was rejected on Saturday, hours before Hansi Flick's side began their Copa del Rey campaign against fifth-tier Barbastro.
Club president Joan Laporta claimed to have received it necessary funds for Olmo's registration – and that of young striker Pau Victor, who finds himself in the same perilous position – but no outside party could guarantee the proceeds from unnamed Middle Eastern investors before the deadline of December 31. Barcelona belatedly confirmed the VIP seats deal on Friday 3 January with the permission of La Liga – although this does not change the fact that Olmo's registration has expired.
Now, Barcelona is going up League and the RFEF with an appeal to the Supreme Council of Sports (CSD), the sports arm of the Spanish government, according to multiple reports.
Athletics claim that Barcelona will at least seek temporary permission to sign Olmo and Victor to avoid potential damage to the two players pending a final decision.
Spanish edition sports revealed that the hearing would take place on Tuesday, January 7 and the club remain defiantly “optimistic” about the situation. That positive attitude could even see Barcelona include Olmo and Victor in the squad that will travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup next week in the hope that a solution can be found before Wednesday's semi-final against Athletic Club.