Barcelona is in a tight spot this summer as the 2022-23 La Liga season kicks off in just eight days, after the Catalan side has been barred from registering any summer signing under club manager Xavi.
The Mirror’s Colin Millar reported earlier that La Liga has outright rejected Barcelona’s attempts to register any new players they secured through transfer deals, as well as any players already on the books that signed on to contract renewals.
Barça has already spent a sizable €153m (~£130m) this summer on moves for Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Koundé while also securing Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
Though there have been multiple outgoings this summer both in full deals or loans, particularly including Philippe Coutinho, Francisco Trincão, Riqui Puig, and Clément Lenglet, Barcelona has not done nearly enough to clear the decks of a bloated wage structure nor have they raised nearly enough funds via sales, which currently stands at a net loss of €130m in transfer fees this summer.
Similarly, the fresh terms agreed between Barcelona and club duo Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto are also under threat, with the pair also unable to be registered at the time of writing.
With the club set to open hostilities in Spain next weekend at home against Rayo Vallecano, the club must act swiftly to jettison big contracts - and big names - if they are to be able to achieve the financial restitution required to add to the team under Xavi.
Certainly, the first name to be pushed clear by the club could still be Dutch international midfielder Frenkie de Jong, with persistent interest from Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea showing no signs of dissipating.
Additionally, the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay could - and should - also be on the chopping block on Spain’s east coast, with Chelsea expressing possible interest in Aubameyang as they still seek solutions in the number 9 role, while Borussia Dortmund has recently been linked with Depay in the wake of Sébastian Haller’s upsetting medical concern.
Sales of all three players are no doubt preferred, while loans, where the wages of one or two of the aforementioned are fully covered, could potentially offer a faster solution.
Barcelona may be eager to get back to winning ways in the league as well as in Europe, but unless the carelessness comes to an end, the club could have much bigger problems moving forward.
