Xavi vetoed Spain international's move to Barcelona after Joan Laporta finalized deal: Reports
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez vetoed the club's move for RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Dani Olmo, according to El Nacional. The Spanish outlet claims that club president Joan Laporta agreed a deal to sign the Spaniard last year in January.
However, Xavi reportedly pulled the plug on the deal and opted to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City instead. Things have not quite worked out for Torres at Camp Nou and the versatile forward could be on his way out of the club soon.
El Nacional claims that several of the Barca board members are now regretting signing the former Valencia winger over Olmo. The versatile Spanish forward, who was born in Terrassa in Catalonia, spent seven years in La Masia, having joined them from local rivals Espanyol.
Olmo departed for Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in 2014 as a 16-year-old and made his name coming through their youth ranks. He has been a key player for RB Leipzig since his switch to the Bundesliga side in 2020 and has also been capped 24 times for Spain.
“I played for Barcelona for six years when I was young. It will always be a home for me. A lot of my friends from the national team play there.”
- Dani Olmo. #fcblive https://t.co/Sr3wdvaOxm
Olmo has also been a regular member of the Spanish side under former manager Luis Enrique. He has been capped 29 times for La Furia Roja and has scored five goals while providing seven assists. He was a key player for Spain in the UEFA European Championship 2020 and also played a starring role in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Olmo was one of Spain's best players in Qatar as he scored once and produced one assist in four games.
The former Barcelona youngster is contracted to RB Leipzig until the summer of 2024 and has been linked with an exit from the Red Bull Arena. He has scored three goals and produced four assists in 13 games across competitions for RB Leipzig this season.
Barcelona have decided to listen to offers for 3 first team superstars
Barcelona have reportedly decided to listen to offers for three of their first-team superstars, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and new summer signing Raphinha.
Ferran Torres has not been at his best this season, scoring five goals and providing an assist in 21 games across competitions this season. Ansu Fati has also flattered to deceive this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in 23 appearances.
🚨🚨| JUST IN: FC Barcelona have decided to listen to offers for Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati & Raphinha. @10JoseAlvarez
Raphinha, who made his move to Barcelona from Leeds United in the summer, has also not managed to impress at Camp Nou. The Brazil international has scored three goals and provided five assists in 23 games across competitions this season.