FC Barcelona have put their money where their mouth is for Dani Olmo. First, the Camp Nou residents had to deal with competition from Manchester City. But there was no real match since the Spanish international quickly assured that he wanted to join Barça. But the deal was far from being in the bag since RB Leipzig, although selling, did not want to sell their player cheaply. After an initial offer was refused, FCB returned to the charge on Wednesday.
Olmo is a happy man
Sporting director Deco travelled to Germany to attend a meeting with the German club and the Olmo clan. And finally, everything was back to normal. An agreement for a transfer worth over €60 million was reached and the 26-year-old was able to travel to Catalonia to undergo his medical and sign a contract until 2030. The news was made official this afternoon.
In the process, Barça published a first interview with its player, who will be presented to the press very soon. Olmo, whose release clause is set at €500 million, spoke of his joy at returning to a club dear to his heart. “I’m very happy, it’s a dream come true. I’m very happy to go home, with my family, with my teammates… I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
The choice of the heart
Then he talked about his transfer, which took a while to come to fruition. “There were intense negotiations, but that’s normal. Everything was done very quickly with Leipzig and I’m also very grateful to them. Now a new stage begins and we’re going to do everything. It was my dream, but we also have to highlight Barça’s efforts to sign me, we have to value it. I’m proud that they love me and I’m proud to be here.” Finally, he said a few words about his great ambitions.
“I come to win, for all the possible titles. We are Barça and we have to compete for everything. We have a team, we have players, we have a staff with whom we aim for everything (…) I can bring versatility, quality, my touch… I have already played with many Barça players. I also want to play with other players like Frenkie (de Jong) or (Robert) Lewandowski, footballers of great quality. I am prepared and I am looking forward to playing to help the team and win.” It is now up to him to put his words into action. He will be presented on August 12th during the friendly match against AS Monaco during the Joan Gamper friendly tournament.
