Man Utd among 8 clubs eyeing free transfer after bombshell Dani Olmo decision

Manchester United are among a host of clubs interested in signing Dani Olmo on a free transfer after Barcelona's latest attempt to register the player for the second half of the season was rejected by La Liga.

Olmo joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig over the summer for around £50million and was only allowed to be registered until the end of 2024 due to his new club's ongoing financial issues. In 15 appearances so far this season, Olmo has scored six goals and Barcelona have desperately been trying to register him beyond 2024, but have now had two attempts and an appeal rejected.

La Liga released a statement on Tuesday evening which read: "FC Barcelona has not presented any alternative that, in compliance with La Liga's economic control regulations, would allow it to register any player after 2 January."

Barcelona have not given up, though, with the club announcing that they have "applied for a new license" from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to register Olmo and his teammate Pau Victor.

It remains to be seen whether they will be successful and a number of clubs are monitoring the situation, with recent reports stating that United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are all interested in Olmo's services.

United are in need of reinforcements, with Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim admitting there is a "possibility" his side could get relegated if their poor form continues. However, Amorim will not have any money to spend in January unless players are sold first. When asked about the possibility of strengthening his squad in January, Amorim admitted: "We don't have that possibility in January, if we don't take [sell] some players. So you know the situation better than I am.

"So it's not the case that I am arriving here and I can spend a lot of money changing all the team. You know the situation, so it's not a point to talk about it."

It is no surprise Olmo's situation is of interest to United given he would be able to leave as a free agent if Barcelona cannot register him and the Red Devils are badly lacking attacking thrust.

However, Olmo's agent Andy Bara has insisted the player wants to remain at Barcelona, stating: "I can announce that the decision made by Dani is to STAY at Barcelona. We are not considering any other option or club, Dani Olmo wants to play for Barça and his desire is very clear."