Of course, until they win another Champions League title - something that has eluded them for the last 11 years, and during which time eternal rivals Real Madrid have won it five times - it can't be said that the Catalan giants are truly back.
Barcelona have been relentless
That has to be the aim for Hansi Flick and his squad, and the way in which they've begun their 2026/27 campaign suggests that they have the bit between their teeth.
Barca's players have been even more relentless than usual in their pressing, and have suffocated their opposition in most games.
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Indeed, they've already scored at least five goals on five separate occasions, and have dominated the possession stats in every match they've played.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have been amongst the goalscorers and have kept the headline writers busy, but one player has had a rather inauspicious start to the campaign.
Olmo has no goals in 2026/27
Despite being one of many Barca players to have won the World Cup this summer, Dani Olmo has begun the 2026/27 campaign in underwhelming fashion.
Though he's played in every game so far in the current season, only once has he finished a full 90 minutes, which came in the 7-2 drubbing of Racing Santander, a match in which he provided one of his three assists.
The other two goals that he set up came in the 5-0 win at second-from-bottom Valencia, and he's yet to get off the mark himself.
It's the story of his time at Barca, in fact.
Not the sort of output Barca expects
Since joining the Catalans from RB Leipzig back in 2024, he's scored just 20 goals and provided 18 assists in 96 games across all competitions.
That's arguably not the sort of output which the Blaugranes would've expected, and perhaps goes some way to explaining why he's never really established himself as a shoo-in in the starting XI.
Given that it's understood, too, that the club will need to sell players before they can buy again, the news that Barca might consider accepting a bid from Bayern Munich for Olmo in January doesn't come as too much of a surprise.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a productive spell in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, and whilst he's made no noises himself about wanting to move on, surely the chance of regular starts, particularly at another European giant, will appeal.
Numbers need to be improved upon
With a reported transfer value of €60m, he is well within budget for the Bavarians, and the financial windfall would go some way to alleviating Barca's ongoing issues.
What else would Bayern be getting for their money, though?
Only three players (Pedri, Raphinha and Lamine) have created more chances than Olmo's 116, but his 85.01% pass completion statistic is one of the lowest in the squad, and bottom-of-the-pile in terms of the numbers provided by all of Barcelona's attacking midfielders.
Of the 38 open-play crosses he's delivered, he has found his target on only eight occasions, for a poor 21.05% success percentage.
Taking into account all of Olmo's crosses into the box, including dead-ball situations (corners, free kicks), of the 102 attempted, 78 were unable to reach a teammate.
It's these attacking figures which have contributed to him not getting as many minutes on the pitch as others.
Lower down the pecking order
Each player brings something different to the table, with some, such as Fermin Lopez, having an urgency to their play which seems to be missing from Olmo's game at present.
The Spaniard hasn't had too many games where it could be said that he stood out from his contemporaries, for example.
Ordinary performances, for want of a better term, might be acceptable at some football clubs, but not Barcelona.
With other players also champing at the bit to be given their chance in the side, Olmo could well be one player that Hansi Flick will accede to being surplus to requirements.
If Bayern can somehow resurrect the form of his previous time in the Bundesliga, the player still has several years left in the game and could prove to be a real bargain.
What is clear is that whether the Bavarians bid for him or not, his future looks to be away from Camp Nou.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
