Barcelona cannot register 9-players for next season

Barcelona is facing a significant registration crisis ahead of the next season, with nine first-team players currently unregistered due to the club’s ongoing financial difficulties.

This situation stems from the severe salary cap restrictions imposed by La Liga, which have become increasingly stringent in light of Barcelona’s financial mismanagement over recent years.

The Catalan giants have been grappling with financial instability, attempting various methods to raise funds and comply with La Liga’s salary limits. Despite these efforts, including the sale of rights for Barca Studios in the summers of 2022 and 2023, Barcelona’s salary cap has plummeted dramatically.

It dropped from £558 million to £232 million at the start of last season and has decreased further ahead of the upcoming season.

According to The Athletic, Barcelona must secure around €130 million by June 30 to avoid severe difficulties in registering new players for Hansi Flick’s squad. The club overshot its salary limit in the 2023-24 season, complicating matters further for the upcoming campaign.

Currently, nine out of the 25 players who started La Liga games for Barcelona in the 2023-24 season cannot be registered for Flick’s first campaign. This list includes Sergi Roberto and Marcos Alonso, whose contracts expire on June 30, and Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix, whose loan deals also end on the same date.

Additionally, Inigo Martinez and Vitor Roque will become unregistered due to the unconventional methods used to include them in the squad last season.

Promising La Masia graduates Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Hector Fort still need their senior contracts formally accepted by La Liga. The club is also embroiled in a legal battle with the league over the registration status of homegrown star Gavi. Re-signing these players would add to the already strained salary cap.

The situation is further complicated by the return of players from loan spells, including Ansu Fati, Eric Garcia, Clement Lenglet, and Sergino Dest, whose salaries are currently counted against the cap for the 2024-25 season.

Despite the dire financial scenario, club sources have expressed confidence in finding the necessary €130 million before the end of June. Potential solutions include attracting new investors for Barca Studios and renegotiating the club’s deal with kit supplier Nike.