Dani Olmo is UNREGISTERED by La Liga after Barcelona failed to meet a deadline – with the Premier League target now unable to play for the Catalan giants
La Liga has removed Dani Olmo and Pau Victor from Barcelona’s list of registered players after the club failed to meet a deadline.
Olmo only joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig in the summer on a £50 million contract, but could only be registered on a temporary basis until the end of 2024 due to LaLiga’s ongoing financial constraints for Barcelona.
The Catalan giants attempted to re-register the attacking midfielder so that he can play for them after December 31.
The club was also looking to expand Victor’s registration, but was unable to do so before the deadline.
La Liga released a statement on Tuesday evening confirming that they had rejected Barcelona’s proposal to register the players.
LaLiga wrote: ‘FC Barcelona has not presented any alternative that would allow it, in accordance with LaLiga’s economic control rules, to register players after January 2.’
Barcelona has not been able to register midfielder Dani Olmo for the second half of the season
Dani Olmo has now been removed from Barcelona’s registered player list by La Liga
Pau Victor has also been dropped from the list after Barcelona missed a deadline
The Spanish top flight have now removed both Olmo and Victor from Barcelona’s registered player list on their website.
Olmo, Barcelona’s number 20, would have played alongside Marc Casado and Frankie De Jong.
Victor, who has the jersey number 18, is also no longer listed on the website.
However, defender Andreas Christensen has returned after the defender was removed to accommodate Olmo’s temporary registration for the first half of the season.
Christensen made just one appearance this season due to injury on the opening day of the campaign, which opened the door for Olmo’s registration.
Olmo, who has been linked with a possible move to the Premier League amid uncertainty over his future, gave a cryptic message as he shared photos of his New Year’s Eve celebrations on social media.
The 26-year-old shared photos with the caption “It’s time for 2025,” ending the message with blue and heart emojis, an apparent reference to Barcelona’s blaugrana colors.
Olmo posed in photos with his influencer girlfriend Laura Abla Schmitt and friends to welcome him in 2025.
Olmo, pictured with his girlfriend Laura Abla Schmitt, celebrated the start of the new year
Olmo seemed to hint at his future, with blaugrana-colored emojis on his post
Olmo seems relaxed about his future despite Barcelona’s efforts to sign him
The post appeared to be prompted by comments made by Olmo’s agent Andy Bara about the star’s future.
Bara, who sparked rumors when he arrived in Manchester last week, told Fabrizio Romano: ‘Dani’s decision is to STAY at Barcelona because he wants to play for Barça.
‘We are NOT considering any other option. Dani wants to play for Barcelona.’
As things stand, Olmo will not feature for Barcelona’s first match of the new year on January 4 against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey.
Having been rejected, Olmo is ineligible under paragraph 5 of Article 141 of the league rules: ‘footballers whose license has been revoked shall not be able to obtain a license from the same team of the club during the same season to which they were previously connected.’
It means Olmo could leave as a free agent in January if the Spanish Football Federation continues to block his registration as they push for the Catalan giants to make more cuts, find more revenue and meet their financial guidelines.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have sent additional documentation regarding the sale of VIP seats at the soon-to-be completed Spotify Camp Nou for around €100 million (£83 million).
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is desperately trying to keep Olmo in the interest of Premier League clubs
Furthermore, the outlet claims that there is pressure on the league from clubs such as Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, with the ‘delegation committee and auditor awaiting the details of all the fine print’.
Barcelona released their own statement on Tuesday, revealing that they have applied for a new license from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to register Olmo and Victor.
The statement read: ‘FC Barcelona announces that it has applied for a new license from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the players Daniel Olmo and Pau Víctor.
‘The Club also wishes to deny that it has applied for or received a suspension of payments from any other body for the requested registration.’
According to Mundo Deportivo, RFEF sources have claimed that the federation cannot process any licenses without LaLiga’s approval, which would be another potential blow for Barcelona.
But the Spanish club still believe they can reach an agreement to keep Olmo.
Olmo has been a key player for Barcelona so far this season, scoring six goals in 15 games in all competitions.
Olmo has been a key player for Barcelona so far this season, scoring six goals in 15 games
Premier League clubs are reportedly tracking Olmo amid uncertainty over his future
With Olmo’s future far from certain, several Premier League clubs are circling.
According to reports in Spain, in addition to United and City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are also closely monitoring his situation.
Indeed, Arsenal are said to have been the first club to show interest in Olmo, with Chelsea and Spurs recently joining the bandwagon.
The Euro 2024 winner has also reportedly been targeted by German giants Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, who were monitoring him, and his former side Leipzig, who made it clear he will always have a home there.