When FC Barcelona tried to sign Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig in August 2024, they faced significant challenges due to La Liga’s strict financial fair play (FFP) rules. The club’s salary cap sits at 270 million Euros, which means they cannot sign new players that exceed this figure. Since registering Olmo would have put them above this cap, Barcelona was required to release players to ease their wage bill. They offloaded the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Sergi Roberto, Sergino Dest, Marcos Alonso, Julian Araujo, and many more.
However, the situation was further complicated by the fact that the club was required to balance its spending budget with revenue. Ultimately, Barcelona was able to register Olmo due to a La Liga provision that allows players to be registered if another is sidelined with a long-term injury. In this case, Andreas Christensen was ruled out for several months, meaning Olmo could now be registered.
Since officially signing for the club, Olmo has scored 3 goals in 4 games for the Catalan outfit.
However, it appears trouble is once again brewing for Olmo’s registration status. Sources from Sport are now claiming that he and new signing Victor will not be registered to play for Barcelona after December 31st, 2024, as the club does not have the proper funds to balance the revenue with the spending bill under regulations.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona team is currently in 1st place in La Liga with 30 points — six points clear of 2nd place Real Madrid. With Andreas Christensen returning from injury and Barcelona needing defensive reinforcements heading into the 2nd half of the campaign, they may have to unregister Olmo yet again. However, sources claim the club has given all players reassurances that they will be able to play.
FC Barcelona were hoping that a sponsorship deal with Nike, rumored to be valued at around $65 million, would be enough for them to be able to register the players. However, it now appears the deal will happen in January “at the earliest”, and now the Catalan club is seeking other revenue streams in the meantime.
