Barcelona could lose two of their summer signings, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, for nothing before they have even played a competitive game for the club.
Both players ran down their contracts down at Chelsea and AC Milan respectively and joined Barca on free transfers. However, the financial state of the Catalan giants means their short-lived stays could already come to an end.
Barcelona’s current situation means they unable to register new players for the new LaLiga campaign. And the clock is ticking as the new season gets underway against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
ESPN reports that both Christensen and Kessie both have a clause in their contracts that would allow them to exercise the right to leave for nothing if they are not registered in time.
Other new signings, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde are also yet to be registered. Barca first-team regulars Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto are in the same situation after they signed new contracts when they had already become free agents.
The report adds that Christensen and Kessie’s situation is slightly different to others who need registering. That is due to the fact they joined for no fee and can therefore leave by the same method.
If this looks like it could happen then Barcelona will be forced to convince the agents to persuade the pair to stay.
Clock is ticking over Barca signings
Clubs currently have until the end of August to register new additions to their squads.
Despite their financial perils, Barca have spent over £126million on their new signings. However, they are also looking to offload some of their highest earners.
Both Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are Chelsea targets, with the former still also wanted by Manchester United.
Barca have been able to fund their new signings by selling off their television rights. However, they need to do even more to balance the books and get back into the good books of LaLiga
