Barcelona could lose as much as €263 million after failing to register Dani Olmo: Reports

According to Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona could lose up to €263 million following their failure to re-register their summer signing Dani Olmo for the second half of the season. The Catalan club received a setback on New Year’s Eve, as LaLiga released a statement, saying it would not allow Olmo to be registered for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Dani Olmo joined Barcelona in 2024 on a six-year deal for a reported fee of €55 million, but the attacking midfielder was registered only for the first half of the season. They managed to register him and Pau Victor after long-term injuries kept a few first-team players out of the squad, thereby allowing them to allocate a portion of their wages. However, the registration was valid only until Tuesday (December 31).

The impending return of defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen to the squad has complicated matters for the club’s summer signings. Barcelona are still struggling with LaLiga’s salary limit and will have new players automatically de-registered when the existing players return to action.

While La Blaugrana have had their registration appeal rejected, ESPN reported that they will attempt to clear up the situation by January 3. If Barcelona are unable to register Olmo, the player will automatically become a free agent which will have adverse financial implications for the club.

First of all, they will have to pay Dani Olmo his full wages, which amount to €48 million, as per his contract that was signed until 2030. The Catalan club will also have to pay the €55 million acquisition fee of the player to RB Leipzig. Sport.es also pointed out the midfielder’s current market value of €60 million (via Transfermarkt) that Barca could miss out on, assuming the player leaves for free.

Barca president Joan Laporta has sold the VIP boxes at the Spotify Camp Nou in a bid to raise funds for Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration. The report claimed that the initial agreement between the Catalan club and the Qatari company that hired them was €200 million. However, when the company realized that Laporta was between the devil and the deep blue sea, they beat down the price to €100 million.

Dani Olmo wants to stay at Barcelona amid registration problems

Despite the situation Dani Olmo is facing at Barca, the player is keen to continue playing for the club. Olmo is a product of Barca’s famed academy La Masia and has had quite an impressive season so far under Hansi Flick.

Dani Olmo’s agent Andy Bara revealed the player’s intention to stay put at the Catalan club. Bara said (via ESPN):

"The decision made by Dani is to stay at Barcelona as he wants play for Barça. We are not considering any other option. Dani wants to play for Barcelona."

In the ongoing season, Dani Olmo has scored six goals and provided one assist for Barca in 15 appearances across competitions.