BARCELONA, Jan 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Dani Olmo's future at Barcelona was 
plunged into uncertainty on Tuesday as La Liga poured cold water on the 
financially troubled Catalan giants' frantic attempts to register the Spain 
star.

La Liga's strict spending limits restricted Olmo's initial registration to 
December 31, 2024 after Barcelona made the playmaker their flagship signing 
last summer.

The club was left scrambling for alternatives to get Olmo on the books before 
the clock struck midnight in Spain, having exhausted legal avenues to extend 
the registration to June 30, 2025.

Barcelona said on Tuesday that they had requested a new licence from the 
Spanish football federation for Olmo and forward Pau Victor, who also faces 
the same registration predicament.

Spanish media reported that the move would buy Barcelona precious time to 
complete the administrative formalities.

"The club wishes to deny that it has asked for or received any extension from 
any other organisation for the registration being requested," it added in a 
statement.

La Liga released a statement shortly afterwards saying that as of Tuesday 
"Barcelona has presented no alternative" complying with the league's budget 
rules "that allows it to register any player from January 2".

Barcelona had submitted documents to La Liga showing it would generate 100 
million euros ($103 million) to finance Olmo's registration by selling VIP 
seats at its future expanded Camp Nou stadium, but the paperwork was 
advancing slowly, Spanish media said.

A Barcelona court had rejected a request to extend the registration on 
Monday, after a commercial court in the Catalan capital made the same 
decision last week.

The heavily indebted club registered Olmo with 80 percent of injured defender 
Andreas Christensen's pay thanks to an exception in La Liga's budget rules 
allowing clubs to replace long-term absentees.

The commercial court argued that overspending was authorised to prevent a 
long-term injury undermining a team's competitiveness but not to register 
players whose wages exceeded the salary limit.

Olmo's contract, initially set to run until 2030, includes a clause that 
would release him if he could not be registered, according to Spanish media.

The Spain playmaker's potential departure due to an administrative imbroglio 
would be a damaging and embarrassing blow to the third-placed Blaugrana's 
title bid.

The 26-year-old has notched five goals in La Liga this season and starred as 
Spain clinched Euro 2024 glory in Germany.