Manchester United have reportedly joined Barcelona in the race to sign RB Leipzig and Spain attacking midfielder Dani Olmo in the next year.
According to a report from Spanish publication MARCA, Manchester United have joined Barcelona in pursuit of Spanish international midfielder Dani Olmo, who is impressing at RB Leipzig.
Olmo, 23, a former Barcelona academy man, left the club in 2014 for Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb, where he rose to prominence after coming through the youth ranks. Having become one of the most coveted young midfielders in Europe, the Spaniard made the move to RB Leipzig in January last year.
Since signing for the Bundesliga outfit, Olmo has grown into an important player for them while he has also managed to establish a foothold into the Spanish national team. Indeed, the 23-year-old was one of La Roja’s top performers at the UEFA Euro 2020, which put him on the radars of top clubs in Europe, including former side Barcelona.
The Blaugrana have been going through financial problems while the departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann has taken away a lot of star quality from their attacking contingent. In a bid to address that, Barcelona made a late deadline day attempt to sign Olmo in the summer, but failed with their late bid.
However, interest in the 23-year-old former La Masia prospect remains strong as ever, with a move in the works for the January transfer window or the summer next year. Given that he can play anywhere in attack, or even slot in as one of the two progressive midfielders in the centre, the RB Leipzig has the potential to be a top signing for Ronald Koeman & co.
However, Barcelona will now have to face competition from Manchester United in the race to sign Olmo. The Red Devils have made a blistering start to the new season and seem to have all their bases covered in the final third of the pitch. However, with Donny van de Beek still not finding favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a quality backup for Bruno Fernandes in the No. 10 role could be needed.
Especially so, considering that both Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba are in the final year of their respective contracts and might not remain at Old Trafford beyond the current season. Someone as flexible and versatile as Olmo, would then, become a fine signing for the 20-time English champions as he could provide cover for Fernandes or take up the wide positions alongside him.
Apart from Barcelona and Manchester United, the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus are also interested in Olmo, giving an indication of the player’s potential and quality. What now remains to be seen is if any of the clubs do make a concerted push to sign the 23-year-old Spaniard in the coming months.
