Barcelona have been selling off VIP seats - worth more than £80million - to raise funds so that they can officially register Dani Olmo.
The Spanish giants have seen La Liga reject their appeals to include the Spaniard, whom they signed in the summer, in their squad, which has opened him up to a free transfer. Olmo is determined to remain at the Catalan outfit, who are doing everything possible to retain him.
A number of clubs around Europe are keeping tabs on the situation and could act if Olmo is forced to seek pastures new. Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are all keen, but could be thwarted as Barcelona use the redeveloped Nou Camp to raise some much needed capital.
Olmo joined Barcelona from RB Leipzig in the summer in a £50m deal, but could only be registered on a temporary arrangement until the end of 2024 due to La Liga's ongoing financial constraints on Barcelona.
The club's bid to register him for the second half of the season was rejected by authorities after they failed to prove they had the necessary financial assurances in time.
Barcelona have now reportedly closed a last-minute €100m (£82.9m) deal to sell VIP boxes at the newly renovated Nou Camp to Middle Eastern investors. They believe the sale will allow them to meet financial fair play rules and finally extend Olmo’s registration - as well as fellow team-mate Pau Torres, another summer signing.
Olmo proved himself to be a sensational performer and was hugely influential as Spain conquered Europe. He scored in the quarter-final win over Germany and the last four success over France, ending the tournament as the joint Golden Boot winner.
Whilst there remains plenty of interest in his signature, which could be secured for a fraction of his market value, the player and those around him remained determined to stay at Barcelona as they remain firmly in the La Liga title race.
Olmo’s agent Andy Bara: “We respect the president Joan Laporta and Deco. They did big effort to bring in Dani last summer. We like their project, it’s a big one for the future, one of the best in the world in the next years. We fully believe Barça will win all the titles in the future like they did during the Messi era. The player, the family, me… we all wanted Dani to be at Barça”.