Barcelona boss Hansi Flick provides Dani Olmo update amid claims Blaugrana are unable to register £51m signing with La Liga

Despite the club’s well-documented financial woes, Barcelona have continued to secure high-profile signings with Olmo, Spain’s Euro 2024 hero, being one of their marquee acquisitions this summer from RB Leipzig. The Spanish playmaker, who returned to his boyhood club, is yet to make his debut after being left out of the squad for the 3-0 defeat to AS Monaco in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Monday.

Fans were hopeful that Olmo might be registered in time for Barcelona's La Liga opener against Valencia at Mestalla but Flick in his pre-match press conference on Friday, dashed those hopes by confirming that Olmo will not be available for the match. The manager said that the forward remains unavailable due to his physical condition rather than any registration problems.

"Dani Olmo is not in a good enough physical condition for tomorrow," he told reporters.

"We want to take care of him. It is important that everyone plays but also avoids injuries. We want everyone to be there and train, without getting injured."

When questioned about the ongoing issues with player registrations, Flick chose not to dwell on the topic and instead redirected attention to the Valencia battle. He confirmed that he would have 22-23 first-team players available to face Valencia and refrained from commenting further on the registration setbacks.

He added: "The things we can't change we don't think about. There are no excuses or complaints. Things were said. I have had many experiences in the past and I have arrived here with the situation that exists. We focus on tomorrow's game, we want to play a great match. Tomorrow morning the list of call-ups will be made official."

However, much to the relief of the Blaugrana faithful, playmaker Pedri, who had been sidelined with an injury sustained while on international duty with Spain, is once again available for selection.

"I am very happy to have Pedri again. He will be able to play the second half tomorrow," informed Flick.

The German also addressed the recovery of Gavi, who is working his way back from a serious ACL injury.

"He is working very well but needs time," he said. "He's a great player and I have to thank all the coaches who are around him and are helping him. I don't want to put pressure on him, he's 20 years old and we have to take care of him."

Barcelona recently secured a deal worth €40 million (£34m/$44m) with catering and logistics company Aramark. However, this falls short of the €60m (£51m/$66m) needed to cover outstanding payments related to the sale of Barca Vision, an essential component of the club's strategy to raise funds. Hence, alongside Olmo, several other prominent signings have yet to be registered with La Liga, including Vitor Roque, Pau Victor, Clement Lenglet, and Eric Garcia. The burden falls on sporting director Deco and president Joan Laporta to find a swift solution to these registration issues, which are hampering the club’s ability to field a full-strength squad.