While Barcelona fans prepare for year-end festivities, an off-field matter has taken center stage: the registration of Dani Olmo. This isn't signing of a player; it is about the challenges a club faces trying to balance sporting ambitions with financial limits. With the deadline day on December 31 mid-way, Barça finds themselves in a race against time as decisions on Olmo's future lie in the hands of judicial decisions, creative solutions, and perhaps a bit of luck.
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The legal battle and the Gavi precedent
The core of the problem is an economical regulations conflict between Barcelona and LaLiga. In that, the latter allows the possibility for a club to take 80% of the injured player's wage for the inscription of another one. Barcelona believe an injury to Marc-André ter Stegen provides the financial margin for registering Dani Olmo. The club has used a loophole which had been used in the case of Wojciech Szczesny.
Mundo Deportivo reported that Barça's strategy follows the same path that was taken in the case of Gavi in early 2023, when the court decided for the club and favored the right to work of the athlete against the financial restrictions of LaLiga. That favorable precedent brings some hope to the Catalan club, but far from guaranteed.
Presiding Judge Ignacio Fernández de Senespleda has delayed his ruling until Friday, a development that only served to further dramatize the moment of truth. The passing of each day with no resolution escalates internal and external pressure.
Plan B
Should the court's decision not go in Barcelona's favor, the club has an alternative ready to sell the VIP boxes of the new Spotify Camp Nou. It is still a plan to raise anywhere between €120 million to €200 million, depending on negotiations, and has to do with the much-needed LaLiga greenlight that will seal the deal before the deadline.
While this may sound promising on paper, it is equally financial exposure to the club. Dependence on such a last-minute move to register a player only shows how things have now become tight in Barcelona. In case the sale happens, there is even doubt if there will be enough time for La Liga to approve the terms.
Loses to Dani Olmo
Not being able to register Dani Olmo before December 31 would be a disaster. First, he wouldn't be able to feature for the rest of the season, and that leaves a big gap in the squad. More alarmingly, there is a clause in his contract which allows him to leave on a free transfer; something which could see him end up at a direct rival or European giant.
This would not only weaken the team in the field but also hamper the club's reputation in the market. For an institution that has long positioned itself as a top destination for elite talent, losing a player because of administrative missteps would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Verdict draws near
Friday might just bring that answer Barcelona so desperately craves, but until then, the club walks a tightrope where every call carries disproportionate weight. Through the courts, Plan B, or even a reportedly mooted Plan C including guarantees, Barça somehow has to avoid turning Dani Olmo into the cover story of administrative and sporting failure.