Spanish Court Rejects Barcelona’s Appeal for Dani Olmo’s Registration

Barcelona’s financial woes just won’t let up. In a fresh blow to the Catalan giants, a Spanish court has dismissed their appeal to register summer signing Dani Olmo beyond 31st December. This ruling leaves Olmo’s future in limbo, as he now faces the possibility of being sidelined for nearly half the season.

Dani Olmo, brought in from RB Leipzig for around €57 million, initially received temporary registration from La Liga in September to fill the gap left by Andreas Christensen, who suffered a long-term injury. However, La Liga only approved Olmo’s registration until 31st December. With the deadline fast approaching, Barcelona sought a court ruling to extend his eligibility—and that of Christensen—through the season, citing Spain’s labor laws and the need to protect workers' rights during a hearing on Monday. Interestingly, Barça used a similar legal argument in 2023 to secure midfielder Gavi’s first-team registration, and that case ended in their favor. This time, however, the ruling didn’t go their way, leaving many surprised and the Catalan club scrambling for alternatives. 

LaLiga on Friday issued a statement saying it welcomed the court decision. "LaLiga has today learned of the ruling... rejecting the request for the provisional registration of Dani Olmo until June 30, 2025, on the grounds that none of the necessary conditions for the adoption of an interim measure have been met," it said. Unlike other top European Leagues, La Liga implements a hard cap on spending limits. Barça's LaLiga-imposed annual spending cap is fixed at €426 million for the season. Unfortunately, the Catalan giants remain over that limit, triggering strict restrictions on registering new players. Under LaLiga’s regulations, Barça can only reinvest a fraction of what they save in wages or earn from transfer fees. While this rule keeps their spending in check, it leaves little flexibility for reinforcing the squad. To ease the strain, the club must also focus on boosting revenue streams to carve out more room within their financial cap. 

Barcelona’s new multi-year deal with kit supplier Nike will help the club financially. However, the money brought through the deal won’t be enough to push through Olmo’s registration. With Olmo’s registration expiring next week, the Blaugrana are working on two possible scenarios to end this ordeal. The first solution revolves around the presale of VIP seats at the redeveloped Spotify Camp Nou, tapping into the club's iconic venue to generate funds. The second option involves a board member stepping in with a personal guarantee to facilitate player registrations—a tactic Barcelona has successfully employed before. This approach ensured the registration of Jules Koundé in 2022 and both João Félix and João Cancelo in 2023. Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta remains confident that the club would be able to register Olmo before the deadline. But with less than four days remaining, Barca officials will have to scramble to get the job done. 

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