After a series of judicial decisions, La Liga proceeded to annul the registration of the new contract of Gavi as a first-team player of FC Barcelona. Hence, Gavi’s previous youth contract will come into effect once again, which expires at the end of the season, making him a free agent in the summer of 2023.
Back to the end of January, after La Liga denied to register the new deal, Barcelona turned to the law to prove their right and register the youngster as a full first-team member. To their delight, the court provisionally decided in favor of the Catalans regarding the contractual situation of the Spanish prodigy, which forced La Liga to register the new contract.
According to the new deal, Gavi committed his future to Camp Nou until 2026, with a salary of around €8 million and a release clause of €1 billion. Moreover, the new Golden Boy was now allowed to wear the prestigious number 6 on his back, which he couldn’t wear previously because of being registered to the FC Barcelona Juvenil A.
However, as Javier Tebas immediately vowed after the number 10 Commercial Court in Barcelona ruled in favor of the club, La Liga appealed to the injunction, and the court has whereupon lifted the precautionary measure due to a delay in the club submitting their claim, which was unfortunately filed after the deadline.
Of course, Barcelona appealed the decision as one could have expected, but the appeal was denied by the court. So, as things stand, Gavi is not part of Barcelona’s senior squad – his name doesn’t appear on La Liga’s official website anymore – but obviously, he can continue to play in the Blaugrana colors with a youth file for now.
However, this could be a problem in the long term as he could leave as a free agent in the summer unless the club can sort out their financial situation, having to comply with FFP regulations to register new players or contract renewals like the one of Ronald Araújo, Alejandro Baldé or Marcos Alonso, as Tebas claimed.
This may cast dark shadows on the summer window, but the club and the player also remain positive about continuing together. In the first place, Gavi only wants to stay and does not contemplate leaving, while the club is already working in full swing to reduce expenses and ensure the conditions for the young talent’s continuation at the Catalans capital.
