Trouble in Barcelona: Court Rejects Dani Olmo’s Registration Extension
With only a few days until the end of 2024, FC Barcelona finds themselves in trouble with the court in Spain. When they signed the Spanish star Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig, who took the world by storm following his incredible performance at the 2024 Euro Cup, he was only registered to play until December 31st, 2024. To combat this, Barcelona appealed in court to extend his contract through the season until June 30th, 2025, which the court rejected. Suppose Barcelona cannot meet the criteria and get the registration extension approved in the next few days. In that case, Olmo can leave the Catalan team for free at the start of 2025, with numerous teams already eyeing the Spanish player, leaving the debt-ridden team in trouble.
When Olmo was registered, Barcelona used 80 percent of Andreas Christensen’s pay to finish the registration since Christensen was out on injury. However, the initial registration only lasted until the end of the year. Due to this, Barcelona appealed to La Liga to extend the registration but faced rejection, which is why the team turned to the courts. Since there was a lack of funding, the courts rejected the extension since the Catalan team was overspending funds they didn’t have. Previously, Barcelona was allowed to overspend to keep Olmo because the rule would enable teams to replace injured players, ensuring that teams do not lose their chances of success due to injuries. However, the court ruled that the overspending was not connected to replacing an injured player and that it was now just Olmo overstaying his time.
However, Dani Olmo’s career at Barcelona might not be entirely over. The team reportedly signed a €100 million deal to sell VIP boxes in Camp Nou to investors in the Middle East, which gives the team enough to pay to reregister Olmo and continue to pay him. However, if the courts do not approve again, Olmo will leave the team as a free agent. Other teams, including Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United, have kept a close eye on the Dani Olmo case and are ready to sign the player as soon as possible. With only a few days left before Dani Olmo’s potential leave, all eyes are on Barcelona and the Spanish courts to save the team from losing a key player.
