LaLiga has confirmed that it has rejected Barcelona's attempt to register Dani Olmo for the second half of the season.
Olmo only joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig in the summer in a £50m deal, but was only able to register on a temporary deal until the end of the calendar year due to LaLiga's current financial constraints for Barcelona.
The Catalans have been trying to re-register the attacking midfielder so that he can play for them beyond December 31, while they are also looking to extend the registration of his teammate Pau Víctor.
However, LaLiga has rejected Barcelona's proposal to sign Olmo, who is emerging as a target for Manchester United and Manchester City.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, LaLiga wrote: “FC Barcelona has not presented any alternative that, in compliance with LaLiga's economic control regulations, would allow it to register any player after January 2.”
Barcelona will return to action on January 4 when they face Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, and Olmo will not be able to play, as things stand.
Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo is not yet registered for the second half of the season
LaLiga, headed by president Javier Tebas (pictured), has rejected Barcelona's attempt to sign Olmo
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is desperately trying to retain Olmo amid interest from Premier League clubs.
However, they have not lost hope of finding a solution.
Barcelona issued its own statement on Tuesday, revealing that it requested a new license from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to register Olmo and Víctor.
The statement read: 'FC Barcelona informs that it has requested a new license from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for the players Daniel Olmo and Pau Víctor.
'Furthermore, the Club wishes to deny that it has requested or received any moratorium from any other body for the requested registration.'
According Sports WorldAccording to RFEF sources, the federation cannot process any license without the approval of LaLiga, in another potential blow to Barcelona.
But the Spanish club still believes it will be able to reach an agreement to keep Olmo.
Unfortunately for them, if they do not do so before 11:59 p.m., the New Year's Eve deadline, Olmo will not be able to play with the team from January 1, since, according to point 5 of article 141 of the league regulations, ” “Football players whose license is canceled will not be able, during the course of the same season, to obtain a license from the same team of the club to which they were previously linked.”
With Olmo's future far from certain, several Premier League clubs are circling.
As well as United and City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are believed to be closely monitoring his situation, according to reports in Spain.
Indeed, it is understood that Arsenal were the first club to show interest in Olmo, while Chelsea and Spurs have joined the bandwagon more recently.
Rubén Amorim's Man United and Pep Guardiola's Man City are two of the clubs that show interest in Olmo
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Unsurprisingly, they are not alone in the race for the winner of Euro 2024 with German giants Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen weighing him in and his former team Leipzig making it clear that he always has a home there.
Over the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain entered the fray as they continue to look for creative reinforcements and Lyon's Rayan Cherki is believed to be another option amid the French club's financial difficulties.
PSG coach Luis Enrique already knows Olmo from the Spanish team and is closely following his situation at Barcelona.
The player himself, however, will remain professional throughout the saga and is committed to fulfilling his contract, which lasts until 2030.
He trained from 10 in the morning on New Year's Eve despite not knowing where the future awaits him, as reported by AS this Tuesday.