Home » RB Leipzig ‘struggling’ to renew Dani Olmo’s contract, clubs on high alert

RB Leipzig ‘struggling’ to renew Dani Olmo’s contract, clubs on high alert

by Abhishek Sarkar

Manchester United face Nottingham Forest in the league on Sunday, hoping to further consolidate their position in the race for top four.

The 20-time PL champions continue to impress under new manager Erik ten Hag and remain in the running for three trophies.

With the Glazers finally looking to relinquish control of the club, after a torrid two decade long spell in charge, times are looking up for the red half of Manchester.

Following the takeover, United are expected to go all out in the summer transfer window, hoping to truly kickstart the Ten Hag revolution at Old Trafford into full gear.

A number of options have been floated around as possible targets come May.

One name that refuses to go away is RB Leipzig attacker Dani Olmo.

The versatile forward has endured an injury ridden campaign, scoring just twice and contributing four assists in his seventeen Bundesliga appearances so far.

Despite these setbacks, the 24-year-old remains a wanted man and a number of clubs across Europe have tracked his progress in earnest, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer.

In his latest edition of Fact Files for CaughtOffside, German transfer expert Christian Falk addressed the speculation regarding Olmo’s future.

He said, “Another Bundesliga midfielder hotly discussed in the Premier League is Dani Olmo. The Spaniard would like to join FC Barcelona, ​​but is not averse to a move to England,”

“Manchester United are also among those interested whilst Leipzig are struggling to renew Olmo’s contract. The problem: Olmo wanted to have an immediate release clause for the summer of 2023 in the new contract.

“Originally, two clauses were agreed in the first round of negotiations last summer – one generally for any interested party (around €70-75m) and one for his home and desired destination Spain (around €60m).

“But now that the season has progressed and the club is looking ahead to the next, an immediate release clause could backfire badly.

“Chief amongst Leipzig’s fears is the possibility of a club signing Olmo shortly before the end of the transfer deadline – leaving the side with minimal time to find a replacement. In order to be future-proof, Olmo should definitely stay for at least another year.”

A graduate of the famed La Masia academy, Olmo finished top scorer in four of his six seasons at the “Farmhouse”, but would opt against continuing with the Blaugrana, in an attempt to accrue more playing time.

The Spanish International eventually signed with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb in 2014, raising many eyebrows at the time, but it would prove to be a shrewd decision for both club and player.

Aged just 16, Olmo would make his debut for Dinamo and in the blink of an eye, the teenager cemented his place in the first team.

He greatly contributed to five title winning sides, playing in a variety of positions, earning envious glances from Europe’s elite.

Soon enough, RB Leipzig and Julian Nagelsmann came calling, and Olmo would make the substantial jump to the German top flight in January of 2020.

Once more, he thrived, and his performances since, for club and internationally for Spain, have made him a constant source of interest in the gossip columns.

Manchester United and Barcelona will continue to monitor Olmo’s contract fiasco at Leipzig.

The Red Devils currently have the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony as options on either side of their attack, with young guns like Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri backing them up.

A case could be made for a loan move for Pellistri, who requires more game-time to truly discover his feet at the highest level, and in that case, a further argument could be made for the signing of Olmo as a more than PL ready replacement for the Uruguayan.

A versatile, talented player who suits Ten Hag’s philosophy to a T, Olmo would be an ideal signing.

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