It has been a long and difficult road for Dani Olmo as he waits to make his debut for Barcelona. The €55 million acquisition from RB Leipzig has been unable to play in the team’s first two matches of the season due to registration issues with LaLiga, stemming from the club’s ongoing financial struggles. However, there is finally a glimmer of hope as a temporary registration is set to be approved in time for the upcoming match against Rayo Vallecano.
According to sources, Barcelona has found a way to navigate around their financial constraints to register Olmo for the upcoming game. Article 77 of LaLiga’s Regulations for the Preparation of Budgets allows clubs to exceed their spending limit in certain circumstances. In this case, an injury suffered by Andreas Christensen has opened up cap space for the temporary registration of Olmo. By utilizing 80% of Christensen’s salary towards registering another player due to his long-term injury, Barcelona now has the opportunity to field Olmo in their next match.
This is not the first time Barcelona has resorted to Article 77 to register players during financial constraints. In the past, the club has used this loophole to register players such as Vitor Roque and Iñigo Martínez. By strategically leveraging player injuries and salary space, Barcelona has been able to work around their spending cap limitations.
The Financial Struggles of Barcelona
Barcelona’s financial woes have been well-documented, with the club operating under a reduced spending cap of just over €200 million. Until the club can get their finances in order and comply with LaLiga’s regulations, they are limited in their ability to register new players. The club’s goal is to return to LaLiga’s 1:1 rule, which would allow them to spend 100% of any savings or revenue raised.
The Road Ahead for Barcelona
As the transfer window comes to a close, Barcelona will need to continue making strategic moves to ensure they can comply with LaLiga’s financial regulations. The temporary registration of Dani Olmo is just one step in this process, with the hope that it will pave the way for a more permanent solution before the January transfer window opens. Until then, Barcelona will need to carefully manage their finances and work within the constraints of their spending cap.