Inside Spain is a weekly installment brought to you by Football España, giving you an insight into all the top stories coming out of the rich and intense climates of La Liga and beyond.
With no games until January 3, and the transfer window yet to open, you might have expected a quieter Christmas break in Spain. Here, Barcelona enters stage right.
As things stand, Barcelona will not be able to face Dani Olmo or Pau Victor for the rest of the season, once the end-of-year deadline has passed without them being registered. They had originally signed up using Andreas Christensen’s salary cap space, due to an emergency injury rule. But with Christensen back from injury, Barcelona had to find the funding to sign Olmo and Victor otherwise.
The added element to this is that players cannot be registered twice, meaning if the League removes their registration, not only can they not play for Barcelona for the rest of the season, but they also cannot be loaned out. Olmo also has a contract clause that allows him to leave for free if he is not registered, having cost €55m just four months ago and with his entire €48m salary on his six-year contract. An error of 103 million euros. That’s why you’ve seen Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea linked with him.
As of Thursday afternoon, Barcelona says it is optimistic that the League will sign them up. They say they had submitted the documents for the sale of 100 million euros of VIP boxes over the next 20 years at Camp Nou (once it opens), but it was the League that asked for more guarantees, hence the delay However, they are surely playing fast and loose, and President Joan Laporta is risking his mandate.
“I have to admit that when I signed #FCBarcelona I did not imagine that after 4 years I would only win a League, a Copa del Rey and a Super Cup. I was expecting at least double that, so that’s disappointing.”
??Frenkie de Jong in Voetbal International. pic.twitter.com/AQpqRJO1rL
— Football Spain (@footballespana_) January 2, 2025
Then there’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, also potentially available for free. Liverpool could be reporting that he will not be leaving and can still sign a new deal, however Real Madrid feel confident enough that Alexander-Arnold wants the move to go public with their intentions. Either they sign him for free next summer, or they bring him for a lower price this January. That’s why an offer is now a free hit in their eyes, with Carlo Ancelotti pushing for reinforcements as Lucas Vazquez is their only right-back currently available.
Los Blancos are also on the lookout for other positions: Alphonso Davies is listening to Bayern Munich’s offer ahead of his own. Real Madrid have agreed terms with him, but will not renegotiate, and are less optimistic about this deal. They have reportedly called William Saliba, with a positive response, for a possible future deal. Barcelona are also looking at Thomas Partey as a potential option at the end of his contract (we know, money is an issue).
On the other hand, Espanyol is holding firm to the asking price of 25 million euros for Joan Garcia, the goalkeeper who moved from Arsenal last summer. Their financial struggles may force them into an awkward negotiating position. Finally, Frenkie de Jong has said that he would leave Barcelona if he does not feel that he could contribute effectively… To which many Barcelona fans have pointed out that he did not leave the bench against Leganés or Atlético de Madrid in his two last matches His contract ends in 2026 and talks for an extension are likely to be difficult.
