Gavi Can Still Leave FC Barcelona For Free Amid La Liga Ruling Against Contract Registration

FC Barcelona could still lose star midfielder Gavi on a free transfer this summer if a legal battle with La Liga over his contract registration doesn’t go their way.

Barca were essentially blocked from making new signings in the recently closed winter transfer window due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits.

They instead decided to focus on registering the 18-year-old’s new deal, which was signed in September last year, runs until 2026, and has a €1 billion ($1.067) release clause.

A constant thorn in the Catalans’ side, however, La Liga president Javier Tebas attempted to block the manoeuvre claiming that Barca were on the wrong side of FFP rules.

Barca took their concerns to a judge who ruled in their favor, and therefore allowed the winner of the Golden Boy award to have his contract registered which saw him awarded head coach Xavi’s iconic old number ‘6’ shirt.

Not prepared to let sleeping dogs rest, Tebas vowed to appeal the ruling. “We’re going to oppose it. A decision shall be given,” he said.

“He is registered, he will play yes. The problem is the ruling. It is in the precautionary measure and we are going to oppose it. We have a few days to go (to appeal). We are going to oppose the injunction.”

A fortnight since these remarks, AS reports that the appeal is still in the hands of Barcelona’s Commercial Court Number 10.

There the judge “must rule on the precautionary measure and also on the merits of the case”, it is said.

If the judge agrees with Barca, the Spain international will continue playing normally with his ‘6’ shirt. If not, he will be forced to return to the drawing board as the Blaugrana attempt to fit his salary into a strict cap amid Tebas already warning the club they must shave €200 million ($212.5 million) from the wage bill ahead of 2023/2024.

Most worryingly of all, Gavi will also be able to leave his boyhood outfit on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign, which will put the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Liverpool on alert.