In a remarkable twist of events, La Liga has deleted a new FC Barcelona signing from its official website, underscoring yet another problematic issue surrounding the club’s capacity to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
The player’s name was listed as part of Barcelona’s first-team players, before being removed shortly after, raising the question of whether or not Barcelona can register players.
The player in question is Joan Garcia, a 24-year-old goalkeeper signed from the same city rival, Espanyol, for €25 million and CPI.
Joan Garcia, signed from rivals Espanyol, is to be a key part of Hansi Flick’s squad going forward.
Barcelona, off a treble season of 2024-25, has constantly been trying to overcome financial hurdles that prompted them to use creative economic ways of getting players signed.
The incident further illustrates the difficulties faced by President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco, as they navigate through the rigorous salary cap that La Liga has in place and which has held up the registration of new signings, including the likes of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.
Garcia was Barcelona’s first summer signing with a reported contract until 2031 and was the league leader in saves with 146 in 2024-25.
After signing with Barcelona on June 20, 2025, Garcia’s registration showed up on La Liga’s website, but it was deleted, to everyone’s surprise, a couple of hours later, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona’s precarious financial position is exhibited by this error, when FFP rules placed so much attention on squad costs.
In contrast to Real Madrid’s efficiency with signings like Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as other initiatives, Barcelona’s legacy both considers each signing individually and applies tighter scrutiny even amongst transactions relative to cost.
This incident arguably spurs further speculation on the transfer strategies of Barcelona going forward; notably, they have made Nico Williams a target.
Garcia’s registration incident emphasizes the urgency for Barcelona to resolve their financial position before the next major signing.
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