Manchester City accelerate talks to sign Barcelona star in January - Reports

Manchester City have begun steps to try and sign Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo in the January transfer window, as per a report from Football Insider. The Spanish midfielder has been left in limbo after La Blaugrana failed in their bids to register him for the second half of the season.

Olmo left RB Leipzig to join boyhood club Barcelona after starring for the Spanish national team at Euro 2024 in the summer. The 26-year-old was made to wait until August 27 to debut for the club after they failed to register him. An injury to Andreas Christensen opened up a registration slot, which the club used for him.

Dani Olmo is now left without a club as his iniitial registration has expired, leading Manchester City to look to swoop in for the Spain international. Football Insider reports that the Premier League giants consider Olmo to be a good choice to replace Kevin De Bruyne, who is in the final six months of his contract.

Barcelona registered Dani Olmo for six months in the hopes of renewing his registration for the remainder of the season in December. They failed with multiple attempts and have now missed the December 31 deadline to register the midfielder. Hansi Flick's side are potentially faced with the possibility of losing Olmo as a free agent six months after agreeing to sign him for €60 million.

Manchester City are in need of reinforcements in midfield, and they are prepared to move swiftly to try and secure a move for Olmo. The midfielder has scored six goals and provided an assist in 15 appearances across all competitions this campaign for the Spanish giants.

Manchester City star tips Barcelona youngster for great success

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri has revealed that he believes Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has all it takes to win the Ballon d'Or. The duo were the Player of the Tournament and the Young Player of the Tournament, respectively, as they helped Spain win Euro 2024 in the summer.

Rodri, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, spoke with AS (via Foot Boom) about some of his comments on Yamal during the Ballon d'Or gala. He shared that he intentionally made comments to try and put the 17-year-old in the spotlight because he believes in his abilities.

“Yes, I put a bit of pressure on him (Yamal). For me, I think he has everything he needs to win it (the Ballon d'Or)," he said.

Lamine Yamal won the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy for 2024, and secured a top-10 finish in the Ballon d'Or rankings. The young forward saw Rodri beat Vinicius Jr to the Ballon d'Or and must have felt inspired to aim for the award.