Raphinha: Olmo saga could put players off joining Barcelona

Raphinha admits Barcelona's struggle to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor could deter future transfer targets from joining the Catalan giants.

Barça signed Euro 2024-winning midfielder Olmo from RB Leipzig in pre-season, while Victor joined from Girona.

However, the Blaugrana have struggled to comply with LaLiga's strict salary cap rules in recent years, and were only able to sign the duo for the first half of the season.

They have seen several requests to register them for the second half of the campaign rejected, and their last hope now rests on the Spanish government through the Administrative Sports Court (CSD).

Raphinha – who joined Barcelona from Leeds United in 2022 at the height of their financial problems – disagrees with Hansi Flick's claim that other players will simply look past the Blaugrana's problems.

“I think the situation of Olmo and Pau could influence the signings in the future,” Raphinha said at a press conference ahead of the Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.

“I don't like telling lies. The truth is that if I were at another club and I saw this situation, I would doubt whether this was the right club for me.

Time to train!

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 7, 2025

“However, when I came, I knew Barcelona's situation. I waited until the last moment and I don't regret anything.”

Olmo has traveled to Saudi Arabia for Barca's Supercopa clash with Athletic, although coach Flick revealed on Tuesday he is unlikely to be cleared to play.

The winner of that match will face Real Madrid or Real Mallorca in the final.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *