Why can't Barcelona register Rashford?

Marcus Rashford will have to wait to become an official Barcelona player as the club still have issues registering players within La Liga's salary limits.

The club is said to already be over their salary limit.

Barca manager Hansi Flick said he is "not happy" about the situation, in a news conference before the season begins on 15 August.

"For me, the situation, you can imagine I'm not happy about that. But I know the situation and I believe in the club," he said.

"We will focus on what we can change and what is in our hands. The other things, I believe in the club."

Rashford, who is on loan from Manchester United, can however still train and play in non-competitive matches even without being registered.

He has made numerous appearances during pre-season friendlies, including scoring his first Barca goal in a 5-0 win over South Korean side Daegu.

Defender Joao Garcia is also yet to be registered despite the departure of Inigo Martinez to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Barcelona and their finances have been the subject of intense debate for a number of years.

In the 2024-25 season the club spent more on buying players and on wages than they made in revenue.

To crunch it down, La Liga regulations mean that until they can get £100m worth of revenue connected to VIP seats in the Nou Camp signed off - they were not ready in time so missed the date they were hoping for - they cannot spend everything they raise from player exits.

Barca are active in the transfer market - Ansu Fati has joined Monaco on loan and Clement Lenglet has left for Atletico Madrid - so they are creating space. But they are not there yet with the VIP seats.

Barcelona, Marcus Rashford and his advisers, and even La Liga, feel this will be done before the transfer window closes. But, until that is completed, Rashford cannot be registered to play in competitive games.

Barcelona's season starts with a trip to Real Mallorca on 16 August.

Barcelona signed Dani Olmo in August 2024, but he was only registered for the first half of the 2024-25 season as a special exception.

This was because of Barcelona's financial situation and not being able to meet La Liga's wage cap restrictions.

A court rejected Barcelona's appeal twice to register the player on a second temporary basis.

Eventually in January 2025, he was registered for La Liga.

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