Barcelona are reportedly facing stiff competition from Liverpool in the race to sign Dani Olmo, valued at around €50 million by RB Leipzig.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Liverpool are the latest club to join the race to sign Dani Olmo. The Spanish international, valued at around €50 million by RB Leipzig, is also being courted by former club Barcelona.
Dani Olmo has made massive strides since joining RB Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2020. A key figure for club and country, the Spanish international recently played his part as Spain beat Sweden to book a direct entry to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
To date, Olmo has featured 67 times for Leipzig while chipping in with 12 goals and 14 assists along the way. His progress has not gone unnoticed either, with some of the biggest clubs in the world hot on his trail. And as things stand, Barcelona and Liverpool are vying for the 23-year-old’s signature.
Barcelona have a storied history with Olmo, who spent most of his formative years at the club’s famed academy La Masia before taking the brave call of joining Dinamo Zagreb aged just 16. Now, though, Olmo is ready to return to Barcelona, who even tried to snap him up late in the summer transfer window.
The interest in the Spanish international makes sense, considering Ousmane Dembele could leave as a free agent next summer while Martin Braithwaite and Ansu Fati are struggling with fitness issues. However, it has been suggested that a sizable asking fee could come as a blow for Barcelona, who might not be able to afford his €50 million price tag.
That might not necessarily be the case for Liverpool, who have now joined the race to sign Olmo. The Reds have been touted to be in the market for an attacking reinforcement keeping the January transfer window in mind, since Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will be unavailable for a month due to their participation at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt and Senegal, respectively.
Olmo, to that end, is a viable target for Liverpool, where Jurgen Klopp could also utilise him in the middle of the park if needed. So, as things stand, Liverpool could be holding the aces in pursuit of the Spanish international, despite his eagerness to return to Barcelona, as the Blaugrana might not be able to shell out €50 million to land him.