Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach could strengthen their position with a talent from the Croatian league: The kicker reported that the negotiations about Dani Olmo from Dinamo Zagreb, especially on the Leverkusen side, are “very far away”. The transfer fee for the Spaniard will probably amount to at least 25 million euros.
However, the two Bundesliga clubs have to be prepared for considerable competition in their bid for the 21-year-old: The French sports newspaper L’Equipe brought Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Barcelona into play. Nevertheless, a change to the Werkself seems to be the most likely so far, with the attacking midfielder and newcomer Kerem Demirbay (TSG Hoffenheim) succeeding Julian Brandt on the Rhine.
Despite the rumours, it will probably take some time before a change is officially announced: Olmo will play with Spain’s U21 national team at the U21 European Championship, which starts on Sunday evening. His advisor Andy Bara, however, is very much expecting a change in the L’Equipe: “At the moment he is concentrating on the U21 tournament. He will then make his choice together with Dinamo, who has so far rejected all offers – the highest in the history of the association.”
The record so far is the ex-Schalker Marko Pjaca, who transferred to Juventus Turin in the summer of 2016 for 23 million euros. According to Bara, exceeding this amount will not be a problem: “It will be the largest transfer from all of former Yugoslavia, I am sure. The amount could be between 30 and 40 million euros, but at the moment it is difficult to say exactly that,” the Croatian promised.
How expensive the talent will ultimately be will probably depend on the new club, a change to Borussia Mönchengladbach could fail, for example, because the transfer fee is too high.
