Dani Olmo Reportedly Set for Barcelona Debut as LaLiga Give Approval for Temporary Registration

Dani Olmo is finally in line to make his Barcelona debut…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional footballer will make his debut against Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday with a temporary registration set to be approved by LaLiga, per ESPN sources.

Dani OlmoOlmo, a €55 million ($61m) arrival from RB Leipzig, has missed Barça‘s first two matches of the season because his registration has not been processed with LaLiga due to the club’s continued financial woes.

Originally sources told ESPN that Omo would unlikely be available to face Rayo, but a long-term injury suffered by Andreas Christensen will free up cap space to register new additions.

Article 77 of LaLiga’s Regulations for the Preparation of Budgets allows clubs to exceed their spending limit in the event a player in the squad is ruled out for a substantial period of time.

Barça have sent medical reports to LaLiga detailing that an Achilles problem will sideline Christensen for up to four months, allowing them to use 80% of the Danish centre-back’s salary towards registering another player in the meantime.

Sources have confirmed that gives Barça enough room to register Olmo before Tuesday’s game, although the final paperwork still needs to be cleared.

Barça had begun to make moves to register Olmo with a series of outgoingsIlkay Gündogan, Vitor Roque, Mika Faye and Clément Lenglet are among those who have left the club over the last week, although it was still not enough to bring Olmo into the fold.

The Spain international, who played for Barça’s academy until he was 16 before leaving for Croatia, will be granted a registration until December 31.

One source says Barça hope it will prove a temporary measure and that their business before the end of the transfer window will also allow them to have Christensen and Olmo both registered properly before January.

It’s not the first time Barça have recurred to Article 77 to register players.

They used the same formula last winter with Roque, using Gavi’s injury to temporarily force through the registration of the Brazilian striker, who joined Real Betis on loan on Monday.

Barça also used Article 77 earlier this month to ensure centre-back Martínez was registered for the start of the season, with Ronald Araújo the injured player whose salary space could be utilized.

All clubs in Spain are subject to a spending cap, which is roughly determined by the difference between a team’s revenue minus non-sporting outgoings and debt repayments.

Barça’s had dropped to just over €200m ($223m) earlier this year, with LaLiga due to announce the new limits after the transfer window closes this week.

Until Barça are operating within their cap, the only way they can register players is by reducing the wage bill, raising transfer fees or bringing new revenue streams into the club.

Sources say the club’s goal before the transfer window closes is to return to LaLiga‘s 1:1 rule, a regulation, which would allow them to spend 100% of anything they save or raise.

While they remain in breach of their cap, they can only spend a percentage of any savings, with the percentage, rarely greater than 50%, determined by the size of the saving.

FC Barcelona Signs Iñigo Martínez on a Free Transfer

Iñigo Martínez is Barcelona bound…

FC Barcelona has announced the signing of the 32-year-old Spanish professional footballer on a free transfer following his departure from Athletic Club.

Inigo MartinezMartinez joins Barca on a two-year deal and will provide competition at centerback for Ronald AraújoAndreas ChristensenJules Koundé and Eric García.

Barca tried to sign Martinez last summer, but they couldn’t agree a fee with Athletic Club, who held on to the Spain international despite at the risk of losing him as a free agent this year.

However, they maintained their interest in bringing him in, with negotiations accelerating at the start of the year after Gerard Pique retired from football.

ESPN reported in March that Barca had reached a verbal agreement with Martinez, who left Athletic Club when his contract expired last month.

Barca’s defense was one of their strengths as they sealed a first LaLiga title since 2019 this season, with Xavi Hernandez‘s side keeping 26 clean sheets in 38 league games.

However, Xavi was keen to add a left-footed centerback to his options, with Martinez also adding experience to what is a relatively young backline.

Martinez began his career with Real Sociedad, making over 200 appearances for the club before joining their Basque rivals Athletic Club in a deal worth €32 million ($34.8m) in 2018.

He made 177 appearances for Athletic and helped the club beat Barca to win the Spanish Super Cup in 2021, but will now embark on the next chapter of his career at the Spanish champions.

Ronald Araujo Nearing Long-Term Deal with FC Barcelona

Ronald Araujo is thisclose to a new deal…

The 23-year-old Uruguayan professional soccer player and Barcelona defender is close to agreement on a new long-term contract with the Spanish club, according to his agent.

Ronald AraujoAraujo’s current deal is set to expire in 2023; and Manchester United and Liverpool were reportedly keen on signing the Uruguay international.

Barca’s previous offer to Araujo was worth around €5 million annually, with sources saying the money on offer from the Premier League sides was worth almost double.

But, Barca has now upped its proposal, with the player’s agent, Flavio Perchman, revealing an agreement is close after a meeting with sporting director Mateu Alemany.

“It’s close,” Perchman told reporters. “There is a desire on both sides [to finalize the renewal] and Ronald wants to stay at the club.”

Araujo has been on the same deal at Barca since 2018, when he first joined the “B team” from Boston River in his homeland in a deal worth an initial €2m.

That made him one of the lowest-paid players in the first team going into the current campaign, with his agents keen for his salary to rise along with his status at the club.

Under coach Xavi Hernandez he has emerged as a key player this season, making 34 appearances in all competitions and scoring four goals, including in the recent 4-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With Barca having to adhere to LaLiga‘s strict financial rules due to their financial problems, though, they’ve played hardball during negotiations with Araujo’s camp.

At the same time the team has been holding talks with Araujo, Barcelona has also been negotiating the signing of Andreas Christensen and even met with Antonio Rudiger‘s agent last week.

Christensen will join the club from Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer, but a move for Rudiger is less likely.

The public nature of those negotiations forced the club to up their offer to Araujo, who was willing to accept a lower deal to remain with the LaLiga side.

Araujo, Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia have been Barca’s first choice centerbacks under Xavi, with Christensen set to compete with them from the summer onwards.