Why Barcelona Could Lose Dani Olmo for Free Just Five Months After Signing Him

Barcelona signed the midfielder from RB Leipzig for $63m in August.

Dani Olmo's future at Barcelona is uncertain. / IMAGO/Pressinphoto

Dani Olmo's Barcelona career is in jeopardy just five months after the midfielder joined the club as the Catalans' blockbuster summer signing.

Olmo's time at Barcelona has been full of obstacles. The Spaniard completed a $63m transfer from RB Leipzig to the Spanish giants in August and signed a six-year contract. Olmo was fresh off winning Euro 2024 with Spain and set to begin a whole new chapter in La Liga.

Except Barcelona's highly publicized money problems got in the way immediately. The 26-year-old was forced to miss the Catalans' first two matches of the 2024–25 season because his new club could not officially register him due to their financial limitations.

Barcelona eventually registered Olmo as an emergency injury signing after Andreas Christensen suffered a serious injury to his Achilles. However, the loophole was only void through Dec. 31; if Olmo wanted to keep playing for Barcelona, the club would have to once again register him before the new year.

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The club has yet to find a permanent solution to its financial woes, though, and failed to free up enough capital to meet La Liga's salary limit. As a result, La Liga denied its request to register Olmo for the second half of the season.

Barcelona appealed to the Commercial Court No.10 of Barcelona, but the court upheld La Liga's decision. The club then filed a second appeal to the Juzgado de Primera Instancia (the magistrate court), but that was also denied. Barcelona have now requested that the Royal Spanish Football Federation grant a new license for the player to continue in La Liga.

Without Olmo officially registered, the midfielder cannot play the second half of the season for Barcelona. What seemed like an exciting, long-term signing for the Catalans is now on the brink of disaster just five months later.

If Barcelona do not find a solution fast, Olmo can leave the club for free in the January transfer window. İlkay Gündoğan also left the club for free at the start of the season when he opted to return to Manchester City. In the span of five months, Barcelona could potentially receive nothing in return for two big name players.

The Athletic reported Barcelona are exploring selling VIP boxes at the newly renovated Camp Nou to help them meet the league's financial fair play rules and complete Olmo's registration.

Despite missing over a month of action due to a hamstring injury, Olmo made 15 appearances for Hansi Flick's side and bagged six goals and one assist across all competitions in the first half of the season. Losing the midfielder, especially for free, would be a huge blow to a Barcelona side that only collected two wins in La Liga over the last two months.

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