FC Barcelona's stance on the 'Olmo case': the club is waiting for LaLiga and the RFEF

The 'summit' held at noon on Thursday by the FC Barcelona board made the club's position clear regarding the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. Joan Laporta appeared calm and confident in finally obtaining the green light from LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) this Friday, when the governing body must finish reviewing the additional documentation sent by Barça regarding the sale of a portion of the VIP seats at Spotify Camp Nou; a 'lever' that will leave around 100-120 million euros in the club's coffers.

On Tuesday, the governing body rejected the agreement that Barça reached with investors from Qatar and Dubai due to a lack of guarantees backing the sale of this azulgrana asset. Initially, the club was required to resolve this operation before midnight on December 31, but it clings to article 130.2 of the General Regulations of the RFEF, which grants exceptional deadlines for registering players late. Both Olmo and Pau Víctor are currently outside the club's squad and without a license to play in club and national team matches.

The reason LaLiga blocked Dani Olmo's registration

According to LaLiga, the agreement for the sale of the VIP boxes and any other similar operation must include "a series of minimum requirements for its admissibility by the Validation Body". Among them is the accreditation of all payments, immediate or in installments, which allow verifying the amounts that the club will receive for that concept. At least 20% of the total must be paid upfront, while 40% must enter the club's coffers six months later.

55% must have been invoiced within 9 months, 70% upon reaching the year, and 85% in the 15 months following its announcement. Furthermore, the governing body clarifies that "the part of the deferred price beyond 18 months from the signing of the corresponding contract and that led to an increase in the Cost Limit of the Sports Squad" will not be taken into account in the calculation of the Cost Limit of the Sports Squad or to reduce losses.

Barcelona's accounts to resolve the 'Olmo case' this Friday

Thus, Barça must immediately receive between 20 (if the agreement closes for 100M€) and 24 million (if it closes for 120M€) immediately from the sale of the boxes, while from now until June, 40 or 44 million euros must flow into the club's coffers to meet the deadlines set by LaLiga. In the end, the competition will only count the revenues invoiced during the first 18 months following the agreement to calculate the 'Fair Play', meaning the club will only earn between 85M€ and 102M€ from this concept, enough money to settle the pending payments from the sale of Barça Vision.

On Thursday, Laporta finished reviewing the details of the 'Olmo case' with the sports vice president Rafa Yuste and the treasurer Ferran Olivé, along with the club's financial director, Manel del Río. For Barça, the ruling should be known during the morning of Friday, hours before Hansi Flick holds his first press conference of 2025, scheduled for 13:00 local time at the Ciutat Esportiva, prior to the trip to Huesca to face UD Barbastro.