Trouble for Dani Olmo and Pau Victor as Barcelona fear they cannot register stars again in January as financial issues return

The Catalan outfit signed attacking midfielder Olmo and forward Victor but the club's financial issues initially prevented the pair from being registered to play this season. While that hurdle was eventually overcome, Sport claims Olmo and Victor will not be registered to play for Barca after December 31 as they don't have the funds to permit it.

The report adds the La Liga team had hoped to receive a new contract from Nike to remedy this situation but the reported €60 million (£50.6m/$65m) deal is not expected until January at the earliest. Plus, with defender Andreas Christensen likely to return from an Achilles injury that month, that is another player that needs to be registered for the second half of the campaign. Sport adds the players have previously been given assurances they can play but for the time being, only one of Olmo or Christensen can reportedly be registered. This is a real headache for the Blaugrana.

Olmo swapped RB Leipzig for Barcelona this summer in a deal that could rise to £51m ($65m) and since then he has scored three goals in five matches in all competitions. The Spain international has, however, been out with a muscle injury but he is now back fit and will want to play as much as possible for Hansi Flick's high-flying side.

While Barca try and find a solution to their ongoing financial problems, Flick's team - who are six points clear at the top of La Liga - host Espanyol in the league on Sunday afternoon, before travelling to Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday in the Champions League.