Gavi’s Barcelona contract renewal registration rejected by La Liga

Bad news for Xavi’s side

La Liga has rejected Barcelona’s attempt to register Gavi as a first-team player under his new deal, according to ESPN. The new deal will keep Gavi around till 2026 and includes a lovely €1 billion release clause.

According to the report, the paperwork was filed Wednesday and Barca’s goal was to get the registration complete by the end of the January transfer window. Gavi has been playing with a youth team record despite being a regular in the first team.

The report details that La Liga’s reasoning for declining the request is that Barca still don’t have room to register Gavi under their current squad spending limit.

The Catalans had thought Memphis Depay’s exit and Gerard Pique’s retirement would have freed up enough room on the wage bill but La Liga say more work needs to be done.