Just nine days before they are due to start their LaLiga defence against Getafe, Barcelona could be facing a major problem. As things stand, they have only 13 players registered to play in the competition, with one of their famous “financial levers” (on this occasion, the sale of 16% of Barça Studios, worth €60 million/$65.65 million) the key to allowing them register players who have agreed new contracts (Gavi, Ronaldo Araújo, Sergi Roberto, Marcos Alonso, Iñaki Peña), as well as new signings Ilkay Gündogan, whose move from Champions League winners Manchester City has been seen as a huge coup, Iñigo Martínez and Oriol Romeu.
Until when do Barcelona have to register Gündogan?
Gündogan, who captained City, agreed to join Barça on the condition that he had to be registered to play in LaLiga by 12 August, the day before their first league game in Getafe. Otherwise, his contract would be cancelled and he would have until the end of the European summer transfer window (31 August) to find a new club.
With nine days to go, things are still up in the air, although both the player and the club are confident his registration will be completed in time, which is starting to run out.
Confusion over German investment fund deal
Further confusion has been cast by reports, from Catalan broadcaster TV3, that the German investment fund who had agreed a deal for a share in Barça Studios have decided to pull out, which the club then denied to Barcelona-based daily sports paper Mundo Deportivo.
If the cash injection ultimately doesn’t come, La Blaugrana could find themselves with a serious issue on their hands with relation to player registrations for the upcoming season.
The good news is that it is believed the players in question are understanding of the situation the club finds itself in and have indicated that they are prepared to wait until the issue is resolved. The clause in Gündogan’s contract, however, leaves him in a rather different predicament, as he will be within he rights to leave the club if he isn’t registered to play by 12 August.
Dembélé and Kessié sales could fill the void
Club president Joan Laporta sold two separate stakes of 24.5% of Barça Studios to Orpheus Media and Socios.com related to future television rights revenue. The two companies initially paid a percentage of what they were due but each delayed paying €30 million ($32.8 million), which the club then looked to sell to the German invest fund. It appears, however, that negotiations have stalled.
The sales of Ousmane Dembélé and Franck Kessíe will at least go some way to filling the void, but the race against time to register Gündogan is well and truly on.
