FC Barcelona’s appeal to register Dani Olmo for the remainder of the season has been rejected, meaning the Spaniard will be unable to play for the club from January 1.
Olmo, was signed by German club RB Leipzig for a fee of €60m (£51m) in August.
However, the attacking midfielder was only signed for the first half of the season as Barcelona were unable to meet La Liga’s wage cap.
La Liga welcomed a court’s decision on Friday to reject the club’s appeal.
“La Liga has learned today of the decision of the Supreme Court not to accept the club’s appeal.” “The Barcelona Commercial Court has rejected the request for temporary registration of Dani Olmos until June 30, 2025, on the grounds that none of the conditions required for the approval of a temporary measure have been met,” the Spanish league said.
The decision also states that “the purpose of authorizing additional expenses is to ensure that a long-term injury does not weaken the team’s competitiveness and that a long-term injury is not used to allow the registration of players whose salaries exceed the cap.” FC Barcelona are trying to do it.
Barcelona signed Olmo after their squad was hit by long-term injuries, allowing the club to have part of their salary to sign the player.
His four-month extension is due to expire at the end of December and on 10th the Commercial Court of Barcelona rejected the club’s request to register him temporarily.
Spanish media reported that Barcelona have filed a complaint with the Magistrate’s Court which will be heard on Monday, a day before the deadline.
La Liga said the decision not to sign Olmo, who was a youth player at Barcelona but left for Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 16, was initially supported by its budget approval body. The club was later confirmed three times by its Financial Fair Play Commission, its Social Appeals Commission and the Spanish Football Federation’s UEFA Second Tier Licensing Commission.
Olmo, who helped Spain win the European Championship this summer, has scored six goals in 15 appearances for Barcelona this season.
Barcelona are third in La Liga, three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.