Barcelona 'open legal case' against player amid Marcus Rashford registration issues
Barcelona have reportedly began disciplinary proceedings against a key player after he blocked plans to send his medical report to La Liga officials.
In what has been a busy summer transfer window, Barcelona has added Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji and Joan Garcia to the squad ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 season.
All three players have enjoyed their Barcelona debut during the club's pre-season, but are yet to be given the chance to play in a competitive match.
Barcelona begin their La Liga campaign on August 16 with a trip to the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix to face RCD Mallorca, but as it stands none of the new signings can take part as they are yet to be registered.
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In order to help get their new signings registered, Barcelona are reportedly considering activating a little-known La Liga rule, but they may need to start a legal battle with one of their key players to do so.
According to a report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo,the Blaugrana have asked their legal team to look into potential sanctions for captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, amid speculation surrounding his future at the club.
The report claims that Barcelona plan to use the German keeper's recent back surgery as a way to trigger an emergency injury rule that would help them register Joan Garcia,
However, in order to do so, they require the signature of Ter Stegen to give his consent to share his private medical information, something which they are yet to receive.
Because of this, the Catalan giants have asked their legal team to immediately open a disciplinary proceeding to determine if 33-year-old can be punished for his decision due to the damaging economic impact he could have on the club.
Despite this, it is currently believed that the goalkeeper is within his rights to refuse to sign, with Director of Football Deco planning to discuss the matter with him in the coming weeks.
What is the rule that Barcelona hope to use to register Joan Garcia?
As stated in La Liga rules, if a player is out injured for four months, clubs can use 50% of their salary limit space during the transfer window to register a replacement, with the amount increasing to 80% if the absence is projected to be more than five months.
With Ter Stegen reportedly out for at least four to five months as he recovers from the surgery, this rule would allow them to register a new goalkeeper under this rule.
Therefore, Barcelona could put that salary limit space towards registering new goalkeeeper Garcia or Wojciech Szczesny, who recently signed a contract extension after coming out of retirement to replace Ter Stegen last season
Topics: La Liga, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Transfer News, Football, FC Barcelona
Ben McCrum