Joan Laporta admits Marcus Rashford registration may not be done on time for La Liga opener and confirms plan to add Joan Garcia after Marc-Andre ter Stegen U-turn

The Barcelona president has expressed concern that new signing Rashford may not be registered in time for the club's La Liga season opener against Mallorca. Speaking to TV3, Laporta was optimistic about the registration process but acknowledged there is an element of doubt. Laporta confirmed that goalkeeper Joan Garcia can now be registered following a resolution in the standoff with Marc-Andre ter Stegen over his injury status, but he admitted that there may be issues for the other players still to be added.

The registration issues stem from La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules, which have been a recurring challenge for the Catalan club. The club need to generate salary space to register new signings and renewed players. A key step in this process was the resolution of the drama surrounding Ter Stegen, whose back injury and refusal to certify a long-term absence had complicated the registration of his new goalkeeping teammate, Garcia. Ter Stegen's recent decision to sign a medical document has cleared the way for Garcia.

Barcelona have a deadline of the end of August to register all their players for the new season, meaning that even if Manchester United loanee Rashford cannot play this weekend, he could be added to the squad later.

On player registrations, Laporta said: ""We're working to make it happen. With Marc's decision, we have the option of registering Joan Garcia, and we're working on the rest. This week we'll have news, hopefully good news, to see if we can register them before La Liga starts. And if we can't, we have time.”

He also praised the German goalkeeper, saying: “We're looking forward. Marc is our captain, I think he's been excellent. What was left has been resolved. He said some sincere words, I think, and I think the fans needed this, to see the captain leading the way. He's been with Barca for 12 seasons, won a Champions League, and besides being an excellent goalkeeper, he's an excellent person, and I'm especially happy that he's the captain.”

Barcelona will begin their La Liga campaign on August 16 with an away fixture against Mallorca. They are working to finalise the registrations of Rashford and other players before the deadline. The resolution of the Ter Stegen saga and the ability to register new players will provide a much-needed boost as the team aims to build on their previous season's success.