Four English clubs have joined Manchester United and City among those circling for Dani Olmo as the clock ticks down on Barcelona’s chances of registering him with LaLiga.
The Catalan side’s second attempt to register their summer signing for the second half of the season was rejected by the Court of First Instance 47 of Barcelona yesterday.
The attacking midfielder was a £50million signing from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer but could only be registered on a temporary arrangement until the end of the calendar year owing to LaLiga‘s ongoing financial constraints on Barcelona.
It means Olmo can leave as a free agent in January if Spain’s football federation continue to block his registration as they push for the Catalan giants to make more cuts, find more revenue and comply with their financial guidelines.
Barcelona have instigated legal proceedings against LaLiga and were initially hopeful of reaching a resolution before next week but these have twice been kicked back and their Spanish star is inching closer to the door.
And it seems England’s biggest sides are lining up in the race to secure his signature, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham joining early frontrunners United, City and Arsenal, Mundo Deportivo reports.
Dani Olmo looks to be heading towards the Barcelona door European giants are interested
Pep Guardiola’s City are among those circling for the star who could be free to leave in January
Ruben Amorim is looking to bolster his United side and is keeping an eye on Olmo
Indeed, Arsenal are believed to have been the first club to show interest in Olmo, while Chelsea and Spurs have joined the bandwagon more recently.
Predictably, they are not alone in the race for the Euro 2024 winner and German giants Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen weighing him up and his former side Leipzig making it clear that he always has a home there.
Over the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain entered the fray as they continue to look for creative reinforcements with Lyon’s Rayan Cherki believed to be another option amid the French club’s own financial struggles.
PSG boss Luis Enrique already knows Olmo from the Spanish national team and is keeping tabs on his situation at Barcelona.
The player himself, however, is reportedly remaining professional throughout the saga and is committed to seeing out his contract, which lasts until 2030.
He trained from 10am on New Year’s Eve despite not knowing where his future lies, AS reported on Tuesday.
Barcelona have continued reassuring his entourage that they can pull off a deal but his team are believed to be disappointed in the saga.
By midday – just 12 hours before he is able to talk to other clubs – chiefs at the Catalan side were thought to have still been getting fresh documentation ready for LaLiga, with president Joan Laporta, treasurer Ferran Olivé and first vice president Rafa Yuste meeting at the Camp Nou all morning.
Mikel Arteta was the first Premier League manager to show interest in his compatriot
Arne Slot has got off to a dream start at Liverpool and is monitoring Olmo as a reinforcement
Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca have also entered the race for the attacking midfielder
In response to the setback over Christmas, the Catalan giants presented a new lawsuit against LaLiga in a last-ditch attempt to have their summer signing available for the second-half of the season.
It was expected that they would present the argument that the registration rules are invalid because they are regulated by a body that they consider incompetent.
According to SPORT, during a meeting on Monday, a contract for the sale of VIP seats was put on the table in order to try and ease their financial constraints.
The LaLiga giants hope that, in principle, the package was going to be sold for about £166miliion (€200m) – in a desperate bid to raise funds and register Olmo and Victor.
Mail Sport revealed on Boxing Day that, with time ticking, the situation has alerted leading Premier League clubs such as City, United and Arsenal, who have taken a keen interest in whether a player so instrumental in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph could be available for nothing next month.
Olmo’s priority has always been to stay with Barcelona, his boyhood club, but the drawn out process is understood to have forced his agent Andy Bara to begin exploring potential moves for the 26-year old who is recognised as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe.
Croatian Bara, 42, is owner of Niagara Sports Company, one of the biggest agencies in the world.
A former centre back, he has forged a reputation as a leading agent representing Olmo, Spain captain Alvaro Morata and other figures such as Lovro Majer and previously Marcelo Brozovic.
Hansi Flick’s side spent £50million to sign Olmo during the summer but could see him leave
The Spaniard has scored five goals from 11 LaLiga matches for the Catalan giants
Olmo’s agent Andy Bara (left) was in Manchester this week after Premier League clubs became alerted to the midfielder’s situation
The agent was also pivotal in Manchester City landing Josko Gvardiol from Red Bull Leipzig
Bara also played a role in City’s £77m deal to land Josko Gvardiol from Red Bull Leipzig in 2023.
Bara flew to Manchester by private jet ahead of City’s draw with Everton and was due to be attending the game.
Contacted by Mail Sport, Bara confirmed: ‘Yes, it is correct I am in Manchester. I am here on holidays.’
It was also recently reported that Barcelona have issued ultimatums to both Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo, with the pair’s contracts expiring in 2026.
Uruguayan star Araujo looks likely to put pen to paper soon and is expected to graduate to a more important role within the first team and rival other centre-backs including Iñigo Martínez and Pau Víctor for a place in the side.
De Jong is a slightly different case, having arrived to much fanfare from Ajax for £72million in 2019, with the Dutchman missing a chunk of the start of the season after suffering ankle ligament damage in April.
And the centre midfielder could be set for a change after refusing a contract extension earlier this year, meaning negotiations will have to commence once again.
