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Barcelona have received official confirmation from La Liga that Marc-André ter Stegen will be sidelined for five months. The league’s approval of the goalkeeper’s medical documentation allows the club to register Joan Garcia ahead of their La Liga opener against Mallorca.
The decision follows a protracted negotiation over Ter Stegen’s recovery timeline. The goalkeeper initially suggested a three-month absence, while Barcelona argued for four months – the minimum required under league regulations to classify an injury as long-term. Meeting that threshold permits clubs to use 80% of the injured player’s salary to register a replacement. With Ter Stegen now officially ruled out for five months, Barcelona qualify for the full relief, easing the financial path to registering Garcia.
However, registration challenges remain for several other players, including Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji, Gerard Martin, Marc Bernal, and Wojciech Szczesny. Martin, Bernal, and Szczesny can play using reserve team cards, but Rashford and Bardghji still require immediate financial solutions.
According to SPORT, Barcelona are pursuing two options. The preferred “Plan A” involves meeting La Liga’s 1:1 rule, which would allow all pending players to be registered. This depends on auditors recognising €100m in revenue from the sale of 457 VIP seats at the Spotify Camp Nou.
The club has submitted the relevant reports and is confident the income will count towards this season’s balance sheet.
As a backup, Barcelona’s board approved a €7m guarantee on Wednesday, which could be used to register all players if La Liga rejects the VIP seat revenue.
This measure would only be executed as a last resort, potentially close to the transfer window deadline.
