According to the analysis by Spanish media Relevo, despite Barça’s transfer of Gündogan and Roko, with only official announcements pending, this is still not enough for the club to register their new signing, Olmo. Therefore, Barça might adopt the method used when registering Koundé, which involves using future anticipated earnings as collateral for early use.
Barcelona, plagued by registration issues for several consecutive years, has become accustomed to this situation. Time is running out before the second match against Athletic Bilbao, yet Olmo’s registration remains incomplete.
Even though Gündogan and Roko have left, it’s still insufficient. Gündogan’s transfer to Manchester City was a free transfer, so Barça won’t receive any transfer fee. His annual salary totaled 18 million euros, exceeding 5% of the team’s payroll, and after his departure, 70% of the freed-up space can be utilized by Barça.
The case of Roko is different because he was not on Barça’s registration list to begin with. His departure will alleviate some financial pressure but won’t significantly help in registering Olmo. Olmo is one of the highest-paid players on the team, and with a transfer fee of 55 million euros for a six-year contract, he requires approximately 9 million euros of financial amortization space annually. To register the new signing, Barça needs to free up 20 million euros in financial space.
Selling Fati may also not be enough to register Olmo. Thus, Relevo points out that Barça is considering another method of registering new signings, which is through a pledge. Two summers ago, Barça contacted La Liga and initiated a pledge procedure, using future earnings as collateral, to register Koundé. Barça may use the same method to resolve Olmo’s registration issue.