Barcelona ‘have 17 players registered ahead of the new season’ as they include Martin Braithwaite and Samuel Umtiti despite ‘NOT handing them shirt numbers’… with the club looking to offload the pair before the end of the summer
- Barcelona have registered just 17 players ahead of tomorrow’s LaLiga opener
- Samuel Umtiti and Martin Braithwaite are included but don’t have shirt numbers
- Xavi’s side are desperate to offload the pair to raise funds and make space for new arrivals
- The Catalan giants have been unable to register their five summer signings so far
- They are optimistic they will be able to do so ahead of Saturday’s game
Three of Barcelona’s 17 registered players are without a squad number ahead of their LaLiga season beginning tomorrow.
The Catalan club have so far been unable to register £145million worth of new signings in Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Frank Kessie and Andreas Christensen, with the Spanish league insisting the club must raise around £85m before Saturday’s league opener against Rayo Vallecano to register these additions.
Such is the dire financial situation at the Nou Camp that Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto, who both signed new deals this summer, are also unable to be registered despite playing for Xavi’s side last season due to LaLiga’s strict salary cap rules.
Barcelona have just 17 players registered ahead of their LaLiga opener with Rayo Vallecano
Robert Lewandowski is one of five new signings the club have been unable to register so far
This means that the Spanish giants have registered just 17 players ahead of the new campaign, with three not having a squad number in Samuel Umtiti, Nico Gonzalez and Martin Braithwaite.
Barcelona are desperate to offload the trio in order to raise funds and make space for new arrivals, with Gonzalez having already joined Valencia on loan.
Homegrown players such as Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Abde Ezzalzouili can feature without being registered, bringing the total up to 20.
However, in reality the number is actually much lower, with the trio who don’t have a shirt number unlikely to feature, while Memphis Depay is expected to join Juventus , meaning Xavi may have just 13 senior players to pick from on Saturday.
Xavi will…