Barcelona are set to beat Chelsea and Arsenal to the signing of Dani Olmo following his sensational Euro 2024 campaign with Spain. The 26-year-old RB Leipzig attacker is highly sought after, and it looks as though the Catalan giants have won the race for his signature.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that the La Liga giants have reached an agreement with Olmo on a six-year contract which expires in June 2030. They have offered Leipzig a guaranteed €55 million plus €4 million in easy add-ons and €3 million in difficult add-ons. It’s a massive coup for the Blaugrana as they kickstart Hansi Flick’s reign with one of Spain’s Euro 2024 heroes.
Olmo was excellent in Germany as Luis de la Fuente’s La Roja won the European Championship. He appeared six times, bagging three goals and two assists, including the winner in a 2-1 win against France in the semifinals. He was also in fine form at the Red Bull Arena during the 2023-24 campaign, posting eight goals and five assists in 25 games across competitions.
Barcelona had been focusing on signing Athletic Club forward Nico Williams, but the Spanish winger now looks unlikely to arrive at Camp Nou. The Blaugrana higher-ups are pessimistic about completing a deal for the 22-year-old, who scored in Spain’s 2-1 victory over England in the Euro 2024 final, per Relevo.
However, Olmo appears to be heading to Catalonia, with Barca seeing off the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, who have all been keeping tabs on the Leipzig man. He’s set to return to a club he spent much of his youth career with before leaving for Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb in January 2015.
“I became a man” – Dani Olmo explains leaving Barcelona’s youth system for Croatia
Dani Olmo could be viewed as the one that got away if you’re a Barcelona fan as he’s gone on to flourish in the Bundesliga with Leipzig. He first put Europe on notice while developing at Dinamo where he registered 34 goals and 28 assists in 124 games. He spoke about leaving the Catalans and how the project in Croatia enticed him to seek pastures new. He told Common Goal:
“I was happy at Barca. In four of the six years I was there I was top scorer, I played as a forward and winger, I was also an Under-16 and Under-17 international. (But) what I wanted was a sporting project for me and Dinamo gave me that. When you leave Barca it’s not all rosy and in Croatia I understood it. There I became a man in every sense, both on the field and off it.”
Olmo spent six years at Maksimir Stadium before joining Leipzig in January 2020 for €29 million where he’s become a protagonist and one of German football’s must-watch attackers. Barcelona look to be closing in on a reunion with their former academy youngster who has grown into a top talent with valuable experience.