Arsenal and Man City have been dealt a major blow to their hopes of signing Dani Olmo during the January transfer window as Barcelona are close to registering the player for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
Having failed to register the Euro 2024 winner, along with Pau Victor, with La Liga; Barcelona took their case to the Higher Sports Council (CSD) in a last attempt to get the duo included in their squad for the remainder of the season.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, the CSD has decided to grant a precautionary measure to the Catalan club, allowing them to temporarily register Olmo and Victor in La Liga. Once this decision is made official, both players will be available to play for Hansi Flick as the German coach prepares his team to compete in the Supercopa de Espana.
Barcelona are hoping the duo can play in the final of the tournament should they get there, with the report stating that this is a possibility.
This will come as a big blow to the likes of Arsenal and Man City, who were hoping to pounce on the La Liga giants’ misfortunes, as this latest news means that Olmo is likely to remain a Barca player beyond the January transfer window at least.
With the possibility of Olmo potentially becoming a free agent in January, Arsenal and Man City showed interest in the Spanish star.
Mikel Arteta is said to be an admirer of the Barcelona star’s versatility and creativity, which would be a huge help to the Gunners given the absence of Bukayo Saka over the coming weeks.
As for Man City, the Premier League champions were said to be the club best placed to sign Olmo because of Pep Guardiola’s connections with Barcelona, with the Euro 2024 winner also being a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.
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This latest update is great news for everyone associated with Barcelona as it was the player’s wish to remain with the Catalan giants.
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