Barcelona heading for registration headache?
FT Desk
- Updated: 30 Jul 2022 03:13 CDT
- 3 min read
Barcelona may have signed Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha and more this summer, but they could struggle to register them for official games if Frenkie de Jong and others refuse to leave.
Two of those three players - Lewandowski and Raphinha - took part in Barcelona's recent pre-season tour of the USA, as did Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen, who have arrived on free transfers from AC Milan and Chelsea respectively.
But Barca are only a year on from seeing Lionel Messi leave because they couldn't afford to pay him amidst a debt of more than €1 billion, and although they have since activated "financial levers" to free up cash, they may need to further balance the books in order to satisfy La Liga's financial regulations and register the new players for competitive games.
"It is crazy when players have to pay for the financial mess!"
Barcelona are taking all the punches over their 'extortion' of Frenkie de Jong 🤕https://t.co/K3EPbK7hQt— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) July 26, 2022
"With La Liga, nobody knows," Barca president Joan Laporta when asked by CBS Sports if player registration will become an issue. "But we're trying to do things with full respect for the rules. Sometimes there are different interpretations. We'll see what happens.
"But we have put in huge effort to increase our revenue. We have brought in over €600 million in around 45 days. I think La Liga will understand our effort and our intent to follow the rules and I hope there won't be any problems."
Ter Stegen, Memphis, going nowhere
Barca certainly need the enacted financial levers and La Liga leniency to be the case because few of their players seem inclined to leave and lighten the wage bill.
Frenkie de Jong is ranked as Barcelona's most lucrative asset by Football Transfers' sophisticated in-house algorithm at €64 million, but he has resisted a move to Manchester United all summer with the players owed more than €20m in deferred wages.
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Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Sergino Dest have also been floated as potential sales in recent weeks, but neither have any intention of leaving, even if the latter's place at right-back is put under pressure by the acquisition of Kounde.
According to Barcelona newspaper Diario Sport, Memphis Depay has also told teammates that he plans to stay even if Barca "signed six forwards". He was already competing with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for minutes before Lewandowski's arrival.
Barcelone could line up with one of the most formidable teams in world football next season, or they could still find themselves unable to register their impressive collection of new stars.
