Dani Olmo removed from La Liga website as Barcelona registration expires

La Liga have removed Dani Olmo from the squad on Barcelona’s team page after his registration expired on December 31.

Having only initially been registered as part of a temporary emergency measure stemming from Andreas Christensen’s injury, Olmo is facing an incredibly uncertain future. Barcelona have already failed with two attempts to extend Olmo’s registration through the courts, but had been hopeful of formalising a €120m deal to sell a section of VIP seats inside Camp Nou in time to address Olmo’s registration.

However, as noted by Mundo Deportivo, they were unable to provide sufficient evidence of future payments to La Liga, who have therefore not approved the deal, leaving Barcelona scrambling to address Olmo’s situation.

“LALIGA informs that, as of today, December 31, FC Barcelona has not presented an alternative that, in compliance with LALIGA’s economic control regulations, would allow it to register any player from next January 2,” a La Liga statement read.

The biggest complication for Barcelona is the La Liga ruling which states that a player can only be registered once by a single team per season, and cannot be de-registered and re-registered at a different time unless there is a justifiable reason, such as the injury which saw Christensen temporarily delisted earlier this season.

Barcelona’s next move was to appeal to the Spanish Football Federation, the RFEF.

“FC Barcelona informs that it has applied for a new license for the players Daniel Olmo and Pau Víctor to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF),” the team declared.

Reports have claimed, however, that the RFEF cannot award a new license without the approval of La Liga, which is not forthcoming.

If Barcelona fail to secure an extension to Olmo’s registration, the midfielder will be free to terminate his contract immediately and join another team, with several Premier League sides understood to be keen.

Should Olmo trigger that option, he is still believed to be entitled to every penny promised to him from his current contract, which runs until 2030, while Barcelona would also be liable for the full payment of his €48m transfer fee to RB Leipzig, which would then have to be paid immediately and in its entirety as there would no longer be a contract over which Barcelona could amortise the fee. Reports claim Barcelona’s full commitment to Olmo could reach a total of €130m.

Olmo’s agent has publicly stressed his desire to remain with Barcelona, while the Blaugrana-coloured hearts on his New Year’s Eve celebration photos also appeared to confirm a commitment to Barca.