Dani Olmo is no stranger to Barcelona having spent his formative years at the famed La Masia academy. He has since gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s most creative playmakers, playing for RB Leipzig.
The 26-year-old’s potential was on full show in Germany at the Euros for Spain. Initially benched for Barcelona star Pedri, Olmo had an immense impact off the bench. Luis de la Fuente handed the Bundesliga star a starting role after Pedri’s injury and he made it his own.
A versatile player who can play as an attacking midfielder or as a left-winger, Olmo’s best performances have come as a #10. He has an excellent first touch and can thread a pass through a needle.
It is no secret now that along with Nico Williams, Olmo is Barcelona’s priority transfer target this summer. According to Gerard Romero, as reported by SPORT, Barcelona sporting director Deco met with the agents of the 26-year-old in a meeting that lasted more than 2 hours.
Olmo had a release clause worth around €60m in his contract with RB Leipzig which expired on July 21st, 2024. However, the player has a good relationship with the club and he will be allowed to leave should a suitable offer come in.
Barcelona are planning to offer Olmo a six-year contract. It is a clever bit of negotiation by the Spanish club as this helps them amortize the total amount of his contract across the six years, giving them a better leeway to sign new targets.
Hansi Flick is widely expected to bring his 4-2-3-1 formation with him to Barcelona which has a natural #10 role. Pedri is expected to be a candidate for this role but if the club sign Olmo, he might be the best-suited one to it.
Olmo is extremely calm under pressure, something understandable from his La Masia tutelage. Signing the 26-year-old would be a coup for the club but should they pull this off ahead of Nico Williams?
Currently, the squad is crying out for Nico’s profile more than Olmo. If signing the RB Leipzig man comes at the cost of the 22-year-old winger, Barcelona must think twice. It remains to be seen how the club goes about it.
