Barcelona have been forced into taking “emergency financial action” ahead of the start of their La Liga curtain-raiser on Saturday, with new signings Marcus Rashford yet to be registered.
Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have looked rejuvenated. The club have reclaimed their spot towards the top of the European pecking order after an impressive domestic treble.
Blaugrana were exceptional on the continental stage too, narrowly falling short in an epic encounter against Italian giants Inter Milan in the semi-final. The San Siro club would go on to be humiliated 5-0 in the final against PSG.
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Barca’s turnaround on the pitch has led many spectators to feel all is well behind the scenes, but the club’s performances continue to paper over the cracks of disastrous financial mismanagement that has lasted the course of almost a decade.
Barcelona won La Liga last year
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Last season, the Catalan club spent £50million on bringing back Euro 2024 star Dani Olmo to the club, but faced registration troubles with La Liga CEO claiming they had overspent. The Spaniard was eventually registered.
In 2023, despite spending conservatively in the transfer window, the club also had similar issues.
Now, it is Rashford's turn to face the grim reality of Barcelona’s finances, and it could seriously jeopardise his position in the squad.
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Marcus Rashford signed for Barcelona after being left out by Ruben Amorim | GETTYThe former Manchester United star's registration is still being rejected by the league as the club are overspending on their salary limit, and it means that currently neither are eligible to play as they begin their title defence on Saturday.
According to The Athletic, the board agreed on Wednesday to put executive’s personal wealth at risk as part of a bank guarantee worth £6million.
The club have insisted that the sale of future proceeds from executive boxes at the revamped Camp Nou for £87million in December of last year means they should be permitted to register their new additions - but this is yet to be approved by La Liga.
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Barcelona expect the decision “either this week or next”, a source told The Athletic.
While Rashford's position remains precarious, the club have advanced with the registration of £20million signing Joan Garcia.
The club have had major disputes with club captain and current goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, after he picked up a back injury on international duty in June.
Subsequently, the German showstopper required surgery and it was claimed, by Barcelona, that he would be out of action for four months.
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Marc-Andre Ter Stegen publicly apologised for the ordeal and him and the club have put it behind them
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This would initiate a loophole in La Liga’s strict wage rules, allowing the club to at least register new signing Garcia, given he was a goalkeeper.
However, Ter Stegen claimed the injury would only leave him sidelined for three months and refused to release medical records to prove otherwise.
The fallout was monumental, with the club stripping him of his captaincy, initiating disciplinary proceedings and ordering a public apology to the fans, to which he duly delivered.
La Liga's medical committee confirmed on Wednesday that they had accepted the terms of Ter stegen's injury, meaning Garcia is expected to be registered before the league opener at the weekend.
The Ter Stegen saga is not the only conflict within Barcelona due to registration issues this summer.
While it was Rashford who joined the Blaugrana in the end, Atletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams was the club’s primary winger choice.
However, the move broke down when the player heard whispers the club may not be able to register him. Barcelona added a clause in his contract to say he could leave on a free if this was the case, but the 23-year-old signed a 10-year deal at his boyhood club, instead to avoid the risk.