Dani Olmo is a name we’re all going to be hearing a lot about during the January transfer window, and perhaps into the summer as well.
On Wednesday we covered claims from Spain that Barcelona had submitted an offer for the player, and then today there were reports, also from Spain, of Chelsea doing the same.
L’Esportiu, a Catalan newspaper, say Dinamo Zagreb are handling Tottenham and Chelsea options, and they should be pretty well informed, given the claim is made in an article which includes an interview with the player.
Tottenham have been linked previously, and this claim would bring them right back into the story.
Asked if a winter exit from Dinamo Zagreb could be the best idea, Olmo responded: “Maybe, yes. My goal is to go to the Euros and it will be difficult for me if in the next six months I only play one smaller competition, like the one in Croatia. I want to take a step forward. And not only to go to the Euros, but also to keep improving. It’s not that I’m being offered, it’s just that I’m ready to take a step forward in my career.”
Dinamo Zagreb are said to be aware the player has outgrown Croatian football and needs a bigger challenge, however, they’re not going to let him go for peanuts.
Despite being under some pressure, with the 21 year old’s contract expiring in June 2021, Dinamo would like an auction situation and are looking for something above €40m.
Asked what will make him decide on a new destination, the youngster said: “The sports project. I have never put money in front of me, although I want to feel valued in that regard too. I will take into account the importance that they may have in the workforce, in the short term and in the future. In his day, Dinamo offered me a project. I want the same.”
That may mean Barcelona have some convincing to do, although given the footballer is from Catalonia, a return home could be tempting in that regards. On the flip side, this is a young man who wasn’t afraid of moving to Zagreb in order to get football, so a London move with Tottenham or Chelsea may not be so daunting.
Let battle commence.
