BARCELONA’s dispute with LaLiga over Gavi has escalated with the league’s website removing the midfielder from Barcelona’s squad.
It comes days after the registration row played out in court as the Catalan club lost their bid to register the star.
It is feared Gavi could even become a free agent if Barcelona do not get on top of their financial issues.
LaLiga have refused to register the 18-year-old’s new contract after Barca were deemed to have surpassed their spending limit beyond the end of the season.
The club have repeatedly tried to have this verdict overturned.
Now the league have removed Gavi from Barca’s squad list on their website in another sign of the deepening dispute.
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Gavi is still able to play for Barcelona but is under a youth contract until the issue is settle
It opens up the possibility of the Spanish club potentially having to unregister the youngster and open the door to other clubs trying to swoop for him as a free agent.
The Nou Camp club had thought the departures of Memphis Depay and Gerard Pique would allow them to register Gavi.
But they are now set to have to explore the option of letting more stars leave to balance the books.
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While things off the pitch continue to be challenging, manager Xavi has managed to spark a turnaround with results.
The dramatic win over title rivals Real Madrid just before the international break has put the side 12 points clear at the top.
But improvement will be needed in Europe after Barcelona crashed out the Champions League group stages for the second year in a row before losing to Manchester United in the Europa League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
