Barcelona captain reveals squad reaction to Dani Olmo fiasco | OneFootball

Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo revealed that the uncertainty surrounding the future of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor has "worried" he and his teammates.

The Catalan giants were only able to register Olmo and Victor for the first six months of the season as a temporary measure after a long-term injury to Andreas Christensen. This expired on 31 December. Barcelona failed to prove that they had sourced the necessary funds to make room in the budget for the players' wages before the end of 2024 and so the pair were removed from La Liga's official database.

Despite presenting themselves as eternally optimistic that a resolution would be found, La Liga and the Spanish football association (RFEF) rejected Barcelona's plea to re-register the pair. Even though the income from a VIP seating deal had been belatedly confirmed by the authorities, this guarantee was only provided after the deadline of 31 December. Once a player's registration has expired, they cannot be registered again with the same club in a single season.

Olmo and Victor were not part of Barcelona's squad which took on fourth-tier Barbastro on Saturday night, but Araujo returned to make his first appearance of the season after recovering from injury. The skipper was predictably asked about the duo following the 4-0 win.

"We are a little worried because they are two very important players for us," Araujo told Movistar+. "It is a subject that is in bad taste for our teammates, but we hope it can be resolved."

Ronald Araujo (left) captained Barcelona in their cup tie on Saturday / Pedro Salado/GettyImages

The skipper added: "As captain I have tried to reassure them."

Olmo has remained publicly unfazed by the chaos surrounding his future. The Euro 2024 winner inserted a clause into his contract when he signed for Barcelona over the summer allowing him to become a free agent if this registration eventuality presented itself.

However, Olmo's agent has always insisted that his client has no intention of leaving Barcelona despite extensive interest from a glut of Premier League clubs.

Barcelona have not given up hope of keeping Olmo and Victor. The La Liga giants have one final ploy in their bid to hang on to the duo, taking the case above La Liga and RFEF to the Spanish government. The Higher Sports Council (CSD) will hear Barcelona's appeal on Tuesday, 7 January, although there may be a significant delay before a final resolution is made.