da betsson： RB Leipzig's talisman is ready to take the next step at club level – and the Etihad Stadium is calling after a stunning summer

da cassino online： When Toni Kroos bulldozed through Pedri less than five minutes into Spain's Euro 2024 quarter-final meeting with Germany, a collective, sharp intake of breath emanated from La Roja's bench. The Barcelona starlet did his utmost to battle through the pain, but eventually, with tears threatening to stream down his face, he was forced to retreat down the tunnel in Stuttgart.

Summoned to replace him was Dani Olmo. Heading into the game, deciding between the two attacking midfielders was Luis de la Fuente's trickiest selection dilemma, and Olmo was clearly keen to prove that he should have been the one starting all along. Following a spritely first-half showing, the RB Leipzig man made a game-changing contribution not long after the interval.

Lamine Yamal was, typically, the provider. Working his way into space out wide and rolling the ball across the edge of the area, Olmo arrived at the opportune moment and swept an exquisite, first-time finish into the bottom corner. He wasn't done there, either, as deep into extra-time, he summoned a piece of exhausted magic, lifting a cross straight onto the head of Mikel Merino, who settled the encounter.

Olmo's performance sent a clear message. Yes, Spain's star boy's tournament might be over, but it was still business as usual. La Roja remain the best team at Euro 2024 by some margin.

Getty ImagesDowning France

His match-winning performance against Germany might have been the highlight so far, but this has been a transformative summer for Olmo's reputation. And after playing the key role in downing Die Mannschaft, he was similarly impressive in the semi-finals.

After the irrepressible Yamal had levelled things up at 1-1, Olmo completed the first-half turnaround. It was an odd-looking but undeniably beautiful goal. Jesus Navas' cross was only half cleared by Les Bleus and Olmo took down the looping ball with a sumptuous first touch, before using his second to send Aurelien Tchouameni into a different postcode. The supreme technician then thundered a shot across goal, which deflected off Jules Kounde on its way into the bottom corner.

After a brief delay, UEFA eventually awarded the strike to Olmo; his third of the tournament, which put him top of the pile in the Golden Boot race thanks to his additional two assists. Regardless of what happens in the final, he's surely booked himself a place in the Team of the Tournament, and he may yet put himself in contention for the best-player award too.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesBiggest summer of his life

And even once the dust has settled in Germany, you can be certain that Olmo's name will remain on the lips of football fans across the continent over the coming weeks. After four-and-a-half years at Leipzig, he is expected to move on to pastures new. He might have gone last summer, but after losing Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol over the course of a single window, Leipzig were understandably desperate to keep hold of him for another campaign, and he promptly signed a fresh deal in June 2023.

The loyalty he showed is expected to be rewarded over the next few weeks, amid interest from a host of top clubs. Olmo has a release clause in his contract worth €60 million (£51m/$65m) which now expires on July 20, but have reported that any bid that meets that asking price is likely to be accepted, even it is comes after the deadline.

This will be music to the ears of the gaggle of clubs tracking Olmo closely, among whom are believed to be Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. The fact that Olmo is attracting interest of this calibre is just reward for his willingness to break the mould throughout his fascinating career.

Getty ImagesUnique route to the top

The first signs that Olmo would be refusing to follow a conventional route to the top came when he was still a teenager. At that time he was one of crown jewels of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, top scoring for a number of age groups.

Then, aged 16, he shocked the club and his team-mates by deciding to depart. It wasn't a traditionally 'big' club he was leaving for either. Instead, Olmo opted to sign for Dinamo Zagreb. Explaining his decision back in 2015, he said: "There is no other club where, at my age, I would get so many chances as Dinamo,” he told .

"I am developing a lot faster than I would anywhere else, even at La Masia. My former team-mates at Barcelona were first shocked, and then they understood my decision to move to Dinamo was the right one. Whilst I am playing senior football, they will have to wait two or three years, and that’s if they make senior football."

Olmo has also alluded to being inspired by some of Dinamo's previous success stories, with the likes of Eduardo da Silva, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic all securing blockbuster moves after receiving their footballing education in the Croatian capital.

It proved to be a shrewd move. Breaking into the team while still a teenager, he received plenty of minutes away from the intense media spotlight in Catalunya, allowing him to hone his skills.

By 2020, Barcelona were pushing to bring him back to Camp Nou. Again though, Olmo made a leftfield career decision, penning terms with Leipzig that January. The reasoning he gave was similar to when he joined Dinamo, citing the Bundesliga side's willingness to "put their trust in young talents."

Getty ImagesTaking the next step

Since then, Olmo has been simmering in Leipzig and for Spain. Aside from a few periods out of the side through injury, successive club managers have valued him highly and he helped the club lift the DFB-Pokal in 2022 and 2023, as well as book a spot in the Champions League semi-final for the first time ever during his maiden season at the club.

It's been a similar story at international level. Both Luis Enrique and now De la Fuente have selected Olmo regularly, though he's never been the true, standout name for La Roja. This is partly down to his reserved personality. As his decision to stay away from headline-grabbing transfers in the past might suggest, Olmo is rarely one to court the limelight.

But having witnessed a host of his Leipzig team-mates take the next step in their careers over the past few season, there's suggestions that his attitude could be changing. As reported by , Olmo hired a top-level PR company last summer in an attempt to heighten his reputation off the pitch.

Back on the field, it's clear that he is also ready to properly hit the big time. And despite all of the clubs vying for his services, there's one move in particular that seems to make most sense if Olmo wishes to establish himself as a properly elite midfielder: Manchester City.