Barcelona are still yet to hear back from Nico Williams on a potential move, but it appears their attention has moved on to Dani Olmo, assuming the former will remain at Athletic Club. The Blaugrana must negotiate with RB Leipzig for Olmo though.
The Catalan giants have the green light from Olmo, but are still yet to reach an agreement with his club. As per Sport, Leipzig have turned down a second offer from Barcelona for Olmo. The terms offered were between €45-50m in a fixed fee, with €10-15m available in variables.
Marc Casadó is called 'Joshua' in the dressing room. This is a reference to Bayern Munich's Kimmich. His teammates see him as a similar player. @sport
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 1, 2024
Their information is that the issue is not necessarily the amount, but the terms of payment. Leipzig want at least €55m guaranteed for Olmo, but Barcelona believe a €50m plus €15m in variables structure could be accepted. Yet Leipzig want the vast majority of that €50m to be paid within the next year, whereas Barcelona, as things stand, would need to separate the payment out across several years.
This could be more of an issue for the finances at Barcelona. With Joan Laporta having declared they are able to sign Nico Williams at the start of July, who has a €58m release clause which would have needed paying up front, the Blaugrana are not negotiating from a good position in that sense. The likely alternative is that Barcelona pay over the odds in the total fee in order to gain more favourable terms of payment.
It is obvious to Leipzig that LaPorta is speaking out of both sides of his mouth with a forked tongue. This is the problem with current (and past) Barcelona management . . . their word means nothing. Olmo will not be going to Barcelona if Leipzig is as smart as I think.