Gavi STRIPPED of Barcelona contract and registered on lower pay and old shirt number putting Man Utd on transfer alert
GAVI has been stripped of his contract and squad number at Barcelona as the club are unable to register as a first-team player with LaLiga.
The midfielder will be able to play for the financially troubled club again this season but will have to be registered as an academy player with his previous contract after two appeals were knocked back.
The highly-rated 18-year-old will also have to wear the No. 30 instead of the No. 6 shirt he was given when he was registered as a first-team player.
This has been confirmed on LaLiga’s website as the player’s profile is displayed with his squad number.
Barca have a negative financial balance, which is largely due to their Champions League exit in the group stages, and so LaLiga did not validate Gavi’s extension.
But with Gavi, this is where the situation could prove even more costly for the Catalonian side.
The Nou Camp club had thought the departures of Memphis Depay and Gerard Pique would allow them to register Gavi.
He has been a regular under manager Xavi for the past two seasons, having already racked up 87 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Gavi has also chipped in with four goals and 11 assists during his time in the first team.
The Spanish international’s contract expires at the end of the season and therefore would allow him to walk away from the club for free.
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He has already been linked with moves to Man United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
This is unless Barcelona are able to find room financially to register the midfielder’s new contract, which could lead to a fire sale of star players.
The other option for the club is to find new sponsorship in order to increase the amount of money coming into the club.
The Spanish giants face a summer of no incoming signings after wild spending left the club struggling to reign in their costs.