Rabat – Spanish clubs are again racing to register players before the beginning of the new LaLiga season, with Barcelona and Getafe among those facing the most striking administrative problems.
According to the league’s registration lists as of July 29, Barcelona have only 12 first-team players registered and no goalkeeper among them. Getafe’s position appears even more difficult, with only seven players currently listed.
The situation does not mean the clubs have only those players under contract or available for preseason training. Rather, it reflects which contracts have been approved for league competition under LaLiga’s financial-control regulations at this stage of the summer.
Barcelona’s registered list reportedly consists of Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsí, Ferran Torres, Pedri, Gavi, Marc Casadó, Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. LaLiga’s public squad page is updated as registrations are formally processed.
Joan García requires new registration
The most unusual element of Barcelona’s situation concerns goalkeeper Joan García, who joined from Espanyol in 2025 and established himself in Hansi Flick’s team.
García was registered last season after Barcelona used the financial space created by Marc-André ter Stegen’s long-term absence. That temporary mechanism did not guarantee his automatic inclusion for the following campaign, leaving the club required to register him again under its new financial position.
García remains a Barcelona player and is under contract with the club. The issue concerns his eligibility for LaLiga rather than his employment status or future at the Catalan side.
Barcelona must therefore create sufficient registration capacity before the season begins. Possible solutions include completing player departures, reducing the wage bill or generating additional income that LaLiga accepts within its financial calculations.
The club’s current list should not be treated as its final squad. Registration situations can change quickly during the final weeks of the transfer window as clubs submit documents and complete financial operations.
Getafe face an even greater challenge
Getafe reportedly have only seven registered first-team players: one goalkeeper, two defenders, one midfielder and three forwards.
The Madrid-based club must add significantly more players before its opening league fixture, potentially relying on academy footballers if registrations remain unresolved.
Getafe have experienced similar difficulties before. In January, a Madrid commercial court temporarily suspended decisions that had prevented the club from registering players after LaLiga calculated that Getafe were more than €17 million above their permitted squad-cost limit.
LaLiga disputed the ruling and maintained that its decision had followed the competition’s financial regulations.
Under LaLiga’s system, every club receives an individual Squad Cost Limit based on its financial position. The calculation covers more than salaries, also including bonuses, social-security payments, agents’ commissions and the annual accounting cost of transfer fees.
Each club proposes its limit, but LaLiga’s validation body can reduce it to a level it considers necessary to protect financial stability. Clubs without sufficient available capacity cannot register additional players until they generate room through income, transfers or cost reductions.
Barcelona and Getafe are not expected to begin the campaign with their current registration lists unchanged. However, their situations demonstrate why signing a player in Spain does not automatically make him eligible to compete.
For several LaLiga clubs, the closing weeks of the summer will again involve two separate races: completing their squads in the transfer market and obtaining the financial approval required to put those players on the pitch.
