90min

Barcelona 'operation' underway to sign €60m Bundesliga star

  • Barcelona giants long-term admirers of RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo
  • The 25-year-old understood to have €60m release clause in Leipzig contract
  • Spanish playmaker has also attracted attention of Man Utd and Bayern Munich

By Joshua Browne

Dani Olmo (centre) is a long-term target of Barcelona
Dani Olmo (centre) is a long-term target of Barcelona / Stuart Franklin/GettyImages
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Barcelona have set the wheels in motion to sign long-term target Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig, according to reports in Spain.

The 25-year-old spent seven years in Barcelona's youth setup before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in July 2014, when he was just 16 years of age.

Olmo stayed in Croatia for the next six years before returning to mainland Europe, joining RB Leipzig on a four-year contract, but Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona are keen to re-sign him, with contact already made with the Spaniard's representatives about a potential return.

All parties are alleged to have left the meeting satisfied with how talks went, though completing a deal may not be as straightforward as Barcelona would like.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich are said to be 'very interested' in Olmo, who has three years left on his Leipzig contract, but the more pressing issue could be the Bundesliga outfit's unwillingness to sell a player who has contributed eight goals and five assists this season.

Dani Olmo
Dani Olmo has earned 33 caps for Spain / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages

Barcelona may end up having to trigger the €60m release clause written into Olmo's contract, circumnavigating the need for Leipzig to give permission for him to move. Whether or not Barcelona can actually afford that kind of deal remains to be seen, though logic would suggest that a number of players would need to leave for the cash-strapped Catalan giants this summer.

Frenkie de Jong has been linked with a big-money move to Bayern, as has teammate Ronald Araujo - who was scolded by Ilkay Gundogan in midweek for his red card in Barcelona's Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain - but neither player has shown an interest in leaving.

There's also the small matter of Barcelona wanting to sign Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo on permanent deals from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. The Portuguese duo are currently on loan in Catalonia and have proven to be key players for Xavi, who recently hinted for the first time that he may reverse his decision to leave as manager this summer.

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