In big, but unsurprising, news out of Spain, FC Barcelona youngster Gavi is now an unregistered player after a court ruling’s deadline was missed by the Catalans; the court initially ruled in favor of Barca. Gavi originally signed a new deal until 2026 but wasn’t recognized by La Liga due to Barca being well over their spending limit. This means that the 18-year-old will be a free agent in the summer.
According to a report from ESPN, the Spanish club filed a lawsuit against the initial refusal of the league to allow Gavi to be registered. The court thus ruled for La Liga to accept the player’s registration, provided that Barca submit the lawsuit by January 31st of this year. If the league hadn’t accepted it “would imply the player’s free agency and therefore cause serious, irreparable damage to Barca.”
That decision has now been overturned because Barca did not file the lawsuit by January 31st and therefore made Gavi an unregistered player, invalidating the recent contract that he signed. Although some people close to the Barcelona officials refute this claim.
Should this matter remain unresolved until the summer, the La Masia product is free to walk and sign for any club that wants to do so; Ronald Araujo is also yet to be officially tied down. Despite La Liga telling Barca not to sign more players, club president Joan Laporta is targeting a right-back and a forward.
Wonder if Bayern Munich fancy a swoop?