The 2021 summer transfer window may have only just closed, but Barcelona already have plans for next year, and Dani Olmo is chief among them.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who say the Catalan giants ‘will work’ to sign Olmo from RB Leipzig next summer.
They say that Olmo is one of Barcelona’s ‘main targets’ for next year, and they will begin work to sign him as early ast the January transfer window.
They already tried a deal on deadline day yesterday but were unable to convince RB Leipzig into a sale so late, despite presenting an offer of €58m plus bonuses.
The Germans didn’t see that as an acceptable price and wanted €75m to let the Spanish international depart, given his importance to the team.
Despite that stance, Barcelona plan to return with another bid in future as they attempt to ‘rejuvenate’ the team.
The club’s new board feel they need players who were trained in La Masia and ‘understand Barça’s idea of the game’, already signing Eric Garcia from Manchester City this summer with that in mind.
Olmo is another such player, and Mateu Alemany has been keeping a close eye on him for years, particularly when he was in charge at Valencia.
The midfielder has a contract with Leipzig until 2024 but was ‘determined’ to return to Barcelona and gave the go-ahead yesterday on a five-year deal.
A contract wasn’t finalised but was close to being so, and therefore Barcelona have something of an advantageous starting position in future.
They will still need to find an agreement with Leipzig, but they know Olmo wants the move, something Leipzig are also aware of, and so the aim is for it ‘to be done in 2022’.
And that’s Mundo explain ‘if it can be in January, better than in the summer’, and therefore the sooner it’s done, the better for all.
