Barcelona can’t register Gavi as first-team player

According to Relevo, the court order that allowed Gavi to be registered as a Barcelona first-team player has been suspended. The 12th Commercial Court of Barcelona, which allowed Barça to register the midfielder on a precautionary basis before the close of the winter transfer window, has suspended the decision due to a formal defect.

After the winter transfer window, Barcelona found themselves in the position of having to register Gavi with his new salary. After renewing, he went from being paid as a youth player to a salary of around €8m.

An official statement by La Liga states that they have “received notification from Commercial Court number 10 in Barcelona, stating that the precautionary measure issued on 31 January 2023 related to Gavi’s registration has been lifted due to the fact that Barcelona did not meet the deadline established for filing the claim”.

Relevo report that Barcelona’s appeal arrived a day after the deadline and that was the reason for the lifting of the precautionary measures. However, sources from the club confirm that the appeal was not presented after the deadline and that the decision has been taken by the lawyer of the Justice Administration.

The Commercial Court communicated the decision to the La Liga club on Monday. Barcelona will be able to appeal this formal defect and, in any case, continue to field Gavi as normal. The problem will be when they have to justify his salary in the end-of-season accounts.

Kieran Quaile | GSFN