Dani Olmo has explained his decision to join RB Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb, conceding a potential move to Barcelona was never a “real option” for him in January.
After months of speculation over his future, Olmo completed a €20 million (£18m/$22m) move to Leipzig in the winter transfer window.
The 22-year-old had spent the previous five years of his career in Croatia with Dinamo, but after his stellar performances during Spain’s U21 European Championships last summer, he became one of the hottest properties in European football.
A number of top clubs were linked with the winger’s signature last year, including Barca, and he revealed back in March that he had also received offers from the Premier League and Serie A before opting to head to Germany.
Camp Nou was touted as the most likely destination for Olmo because he rose through the club’s La Masia ranks before joining Dinamo, but the winger insists a return to Catalonia was never really on the cards.
When asked why a transfer to Barca never came to fruition, the Spain international told Goal: “Maybe this is not a question to me. It didn’t happen and I am not sure if it was a real option.
“There were a lot of things published in the press but I was happy in Croatia.
“I knew sooner or later the moment of leaving would arrive, as happened. Leipzig was one of the clubs which showed more interest in me. That’s why we decided to move here.”
Olmo did, however, go on to admit that the opportunity to play in La Liga one day still holds great appeal to him, due to the fact he admires the highly “competitive” nature of the division.
“I said it in the past. It would be beautiful to play in your home country’s championship,” he said. “La Liga is one of the best championships in the world, very competitive. So why not?
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“Yes, I would like to play in La Liga one day.”
Olmo added on what attracted him to Leipzig: “I choose Leipzig for the project and for how they take care of the talent. If you watch over the roster you can check we are a very young team, with players with great projection but always ready for fighting for the highest goals.
“This season we have seen it both in Bundesliga and Champions League. We are a young team which aspires to everything. I think if we keep working hard we could even fight for the championship.”
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