Four English clubs have joined Manchester United and City among those circling Dani Olmo while the clock is ticking on Barcelona's chances of registering him in LaLiga.
The Catalan team's second attempt to register its summer signing for the second half of the season was rejected yesterday by the Court of First Instance 47 of Barcelona.
The attacking midfielder was a £50m signing from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer but was only able to register on a temporary basis until the end of the calendar year due to LaLigaThe continued financial constraints facing Barcelona.
It means Olmo can leave as a free agent in January if the Spanish football federation continues to block his registration while they push for the Catalan giants to make more cuts, earn more revenue and meet their financial guidelines.
Barcelona have launched legal proceedings against LaLiga and were initially hoping to reach a resolution before next week, but these have been rejected twice and their Spanish star is inching closer to the door.
And it looks like England's biggest teams are lining up in the race to secure his signature, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham joining early favorites United, City and Arsenal. Sports World information.
Dani Olmo seems to be heading towards Barcelona's door The European giants are interested
Pep Guardiola's City are among those looking for the star who could be free in January
Rubén Amorim seeks to strengthen his United and keeps an eye on Olmo
In fact, Arsenal are believed to have been the first club to show interest in Olmo, while Chelsea and Spurs have joined the bandwagon more recently.
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 his future lies. AS reported on Tuesday.
Barcelona have continued to assure those around them that they can complete a deal, but their team is believed to be disappointed with the saga.
At midday, just 12 hours before he is due to speak to other clubs, the Catalan team's bosses were still thought to be preparing new paperwork for LaLiga, with president Joan Laporta, treasurer Ferran Olivé and first vice-president Rafa Yuste meeting at the Camp Nou all morning.
Mikel Arteta was the first Premier League coach to take an interest in his compatriot
Arne Slot has had a dream start at Liverpool and follows Olmo as reinforcement
Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca also enter the race for the attacking midfielder
Faced with the Christmas setback, the Catalan team filed a new lawsuit against LaLiga in a last attempt to have their summer signing available for the second half of the season.
They were expected to make the argument that the registration rules are invalid because they are regulated by a body they consider incompetent.
According to SPORT, during a meeting held on Monday a contract for the sale of VIP seats was put on the table to try to alleviate their financial constraints.
The LaLiga giants initially expect the package to sell for around £166 million (€200 million), in a desperate attempt to raise funds and register Olmo and Víctor.
Mail Sport revealed on Boxing Day thatWith time running out, the situation has alerted the main Premier League clubs such as City, United and Arsenal, who have become very interested in whether a player so decisive in Spain's victory at Euro 2024 could be available in exchange for nothing next month.
Olmo's priority has always been to stay at Barcelona, his boyhood club, but the lengthy process is understood to have forced his agent Andy Bara to begin exploring possible moves for the 26-year-old, recognized as one of the best attacking midfielders in history. Europe.
Croatian Bara, 42, is the owner of Niagara Sports Company, one of the largest agencies in the world.
A former centre-back, he has built a reputation as a leading agent representing Olmo, Spanish captain Álvaro Morata and other figures such as Lovro Majer and previously Marcelo Brozovic.
Hansi Flick's side spent £50m to sign Olmo over the summer but could see him leave
The Spaniard has scored five goals in 11 LaLiga games with the Catalan team
Olmo's agent Andy Bara (left) was in Manchester this week after Premier League clubs were alerted to the midfielder's situation.
The agent was also instrumental in Manchester City signing Josko Gvardiol from Red Bull Leipzig.
Barca also played a role in City's £77m deal to sign Josko Gvardiol from Red Bull Leipzig in 2023.
Barça flew to Manchester on a private jet before City's draw against Everton and was due to attend the match.
Contacted by Mail Sport, Barça confirmed: 'Yes, it's true, I'm in Manchester. I'm here on holiday.'
It was also recently reported that Barcelona have given ultimatums to both Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo, with both of their contracts expiring in 2026.
Uruguayan star Araujo is likely to put pen to paper soon and is expected to take on a larger role within the first team and rival other centre-backs, including Iñigo Martínez and Pau Víctor, for a place in the team.
De Jong is a slightly different case, having arrived to much fanfare from Ajax for £72m in 2019, with the Dutchman missing much of the start of the season after suffering an ankle ligament injury in April.
And the central midfielder could be ready for a move after rejecting a contract extension earlier this year, meaning negotiations will have to begin once again.