A judge in Spain has suspended the contract registration of Barcelona midfielder Gavi, which effectively means he can leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to Relevo.
Gavi initially signed a new contract with the Spanish giants, who pulled several financial levers to keep him at Spotify Camp Nou until 2026 with an outrageous €1 billion release clause inserted in the deal.
La Liga moved to block the registration from happening as Barca did not meet all the economic control requirements to complete the deal, but the club prevailed after a court appeal.
However, the same court has now suspended the precautionary measure that forced La Liga to sanction Gavi’s registration. The court ruled against Barca after it was revealed they filed their claim after the deadline.
The news comes as a hammer blow to Barca as the court’s ruling leaves them stranded in their quest to keep the young sensation at the club.
Gavi’s previous deal will expire next summer, and the Spanish midfielder can leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
His potential availability puts the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, who are rumoured to be interested in the youngster on high alert.
Barca can appeal against the court’s decision, but Gavi is not registered with Xavi Hernandez’s first team set-up as things stand.
However, he can still play for Barca until the end of the season because he has a file from the subsidiary and a La Liga visa.
Gavi is expected to play a huge part in Sunday’s mouthwatering El Clasico against title rivals Real Madrid that will likely decide which way the trophy swings this season.
What will worry Barca more in the long term is they will struggle to match their current offer to Gavi if they are to re-sign him at the end of the season.
Gavi’s salary, which is rumoured to be around €8 million a year, fits into Financial Fair Play limits ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Barca are already at loggerheads with La Liga boss Javier Tebas, who has publicly declared that they must shed €200m from their enormous wage bill if they are to make any signings next summer.
The club is also under investigation amid allegations of corruption for paying the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a sum of €6.7m from 2001 to 2018.
