Barcelona could RELEASE Christensen and Kessie in next 48 hours

FT Desk

• Updated: 10 Aug 2022 15:58 BST
• 3 min read

A sensational report by ESPN claims that Barcelona could be forced to release Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie from their contracts if they cannot register them by Saturday.

Barcelona kick off their La Liga season on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano but they have still not been able to register any of their summer signings.

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The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Kessie and Christensen will all not be able to play against Rayo as it stands.

Why can't Barcelona register players?

The reason for this is because Barcelona are currently above their spending cap imposed on them by La Liga.

Barca have raised cash this summer by activating three economic levers - selling 25% of their domestic television rights for 25 years and a 24.5% stake in Barca Studios.

But this is still not enough to register their signings and Barcelona hope to raise more money and lower their wage bill before the weekend.

If they fail to do so, thus failing to register their new signings, ESPN reports that Christensen and Kessie can tear up their contracts.

The duo signed for Barcelona this summer on Bosman Transfers from Chelsea and AC Milan, respectively.

However, ESPN claims that both players have clauses in their contracts that allows them to leave for free if they are not registered before the opening game.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is said to be confident that the club will be able to register all of their summer arrivals before Saturday.

He is also confident that if they can’t be registered by then that Christensen and Kessie would not choose to tear up their contracts.

Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto are also unable to be registered as Barcelona players.