RB Leipzig have identified a replacement for Barcelona's Dani Olmo
RB Leipzig are making plans in case Barcelona target Dani Olmo to leave the club this summer, reportedly targeting Lyon's Ryan Cherki as a replacement for the Euro 2024 winner.
Barca have already experienced disappointment during the transfer window, with premiership player Nico Williams set to stay with current club Athletic Club. But Olmo is also wanted in his native Catalonia – the original plan was to move for him after completing the Williams deal.
Olmo's release clause has expired, although Leipzig are still preparing for a future without him. Sky Sport Germany write that Cherki is “a top priority” at the Bundesliga club to replace Olmo. The 20-year-old Frenchman, who will compete for an Olympic gold medal on Friday, could command between €15m and €20m from Lyon and talks are said to be ongoing.
Leipzig are also said to be eyeing PSV Eindhoven's Johan Bakayoko and Porto's Francisco Conceicao if Olmo leaves, as they weigh up a number of options.
Although there is no release clause in effect, Olmo is still valued at around 60 million euros if Barcelona can put together the necessary financial package. As reported by 90 min In July, a verbal offer was made before the expiration of the exemption clause that proposed a payment structure of the same amount.
An agreement on personal terms has reportedly already been struck in Olmo's camp.
The 26-year-old has been at Leipzig since January 2020. He previously spent seven years with Barcelona as a youth player, but then took the unusual step of moving to Croatia at the age of 16. Olmo signed with Dinamo Zagreb, making his senior debut less than a year later and was a first-team regular to receive Champions League football before he turned 21.
Barcelona are yet to sign new players so far this summer, with the only additions to last season's squad coming in the form of loan repayments.
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