In the first day of 2025, a major news broke in European football: La Liga giants Barcelona were unable to register their 26-year-old winger Olmo and 23-year-old forward Victor due to financial issues. This means that Olmo and Victor have officially become free agents and can look for new clubs during the winter transfer window, while Barcelona will not receive any transfer fees. Additionally, Barcelona still needs to pay Olmo's salary for the remaining six years of his contract and the full transfer fee to RB Leipzig.
According to La Liga regulations, players whose registrations are revoked cannot be re-registered with the same club within the same season. Therefore, even if Olmo chooses to stay at Barcelona, he will not be able to play for the team this season. Olmo's contract with Barcelona includes a clause that allows him to become a free agent if he is not registered, and he can also receive the full salary for the six-year contract, making Barcelona the laughingstock of European football.
This season, after a coaching change, Flick took over Barcelona and actively reformed, revitalizing the team's attacking line. In the early stages, Barcelona won seven consecutive games and opened a gap with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the league table. However, as the season progressed, Barcelona suffered from continuous injuries, causing fluctuations in their form. In the last seven rounds of La Liga, Barcelona only won one game and lost four, including three consecutive home defeats, which drastically changed their title-winning prospects. They were overtaken by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid from the top spot, relinquishing the initiative in the title race.
Spanish media reported that Barcelona's wage limit in La Liga increased from -81 million euros to -153 million euros. In the few months since the start of the new season, Laporta has not improved Barcelona's financial situation through increased revenue but instead worsened the wage limit by doubling it. This is the main reason why Olmo and Victor's registration applications were rejected by the La Liga Alliance. Olmo joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig this summer, scoring six goals and providing one assist in 15 appearances, making him an important player in Barcelona's front line.
Olmo becoming a free agent, although his agent stated that Olmo has no intention of leaving Barcelona and did not consider triggering the release clause, the player hopes to continue playing for Barcelona. However, as time goes on, Olmo cannot bear the situation of not being able to play in the second half of the season, and will seek a transfer at that time. There are many teams interested in Olmo in the transfer market, among which Premier League champions Manchester City are eager to sign him.
Manchester City is currently in a slump, with winger Grealish failing to score for a whole year and Savigno only scoring one goal since joining Manchester City. Therefore, Guardiola urgently needs a player who can score and improve Manchester City's attack, and Olmo is the ideal candidate. He can seamlessly integrate into Guardiola's tactical system.
In fact, Olmo will eventually choose to leave Barcelona, not only because of the dilemma of having no games to play, but also for economic considerations. By terminating his contract with Barcelona, Olmo can receive six years' salary, join another team as a free agent, obtain a substantial signing fee, and gain more initiative in annual salary negotiations. This is a huge opportunity for a 26-year-old player, and it is believed that Olmo will fully consider this point to strive for the biggest contract of his career. It is already a foregone conclusion that Barcelona will lose Olmo in the second half of the season.
This season's La Liga title race is composed of three strong teams: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Real Madrid. Currently, Barcelona is three points behind Atletico Madrid and two points behind Real Madrid with one less game played. The initiative in the title race is no longer in their hands. Now facing the blow of Olmo's inability to register, it will greatly affect Flick's lineup arrangements. In this situation, the two title rivals, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, are the happiest, and Barcelona's low period may continue.