Barcelona's registration problems worsen as Hansi Flick sweats over five players including Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia less than two weeks before La Liga opener

Barcelona now have a fifth player who needs to be registered to Hansi Flick's side ahead of their La Liga opener on August 16. As well as Marcus Rashford, Joan Garcia, Roony Bardghji and Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martin is also unregistered. The left-back recently renewed his contract and moved from the reserve team to the first team, meaning he requires registration under La Liga rules. The club’s squad is nearly set aside from finalising the departures of Inaki Pena and Oriol Romeu. Barcelona are under pressure to complete all registrations ahead of the season start, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo.

Barcelona’s registration issues reflect ongoing financial and administrative constraints. The club waits on new revenue streams including a sponsorship deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo and the approval of VIP seating to ease financial fair play pressures. Using Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s long-term injury as a registration relief method remains an option but is deemed undesirable by club president Joan Laporta, as it would create a future liability. Bardghji's registration is less problematic due to his reserve team status but he would require a first-team contract if he features regularly for the senior side. Hansi Flick’s preference to have Martin as Alejandro Balde’s backup for the start of the season makes completing these registrations urgent. Moreover, Rashford is confident about his registration.

Barcelona's La Liga season kicks off on August 16 against Mallorca, a fixture that now carries additional pressure as the club works to finalise player registrations. Players moving from reserve to first team mid-cycle, like Martin, trigger mandatory registration requirements, complicating squad management.

Barcelona must expedite the sale or departure of unregistered players and leverage financial solutions to comply with La Liga rules. Before they kick off the league campaign, they will take on Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy this week.