Barcelona have a Plan B in place to register Joan Garcia before La Liga opener | OneFootball

FC Barcelona expect a decision from La Liga’s Medical Commission on whether Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury is long-term today or tomorrow.

It would allow the Catalans to use, for financial fair play purposes, a percentage of the German goalkeeper’s substantial salary to register Joan Garcia.

If the committee rules that Ter Stegen will be sidelined for five months or more, the club could use 80% of his salary. If it is four months, the percentage drops to 50%.

Alternative option ready

If the committee determines that his absence will be less than four months, thus blocking Barcelona’s Plan A, there is a Plan B: a personal guarantee from the president and/or another board member, reports Mundo Deportivo.

The Catalans expect the committee to confirm their view that the injury length will allow part of Ter Stegen’s wages to be used to register Garcia, currently the top priority in player registrations.

The La Liga season starts this Saturday for Hansi Flick’s side away to Mallorca, and as of today, only Inaki Pena is registered as a goalkeeper. The La Masia ace has not played a single pre-season minute and is not part of Flick’s plans for this campaign.

Barcelona are eager to register Joan Garcia soon. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

If the decision does not align with the club’s expectations, Barcelona would turn to an option they have used before: the personal guarantee of a board member.

The club reassured Garcia’s agents at the end of July that this possibility existed, so a fallback is in place even if they hope not to use it.

Used previously with Jules Kounde

Back in August 2022, when Barcelona signed Jules Kounde from Sevilla, there were also issues with his registration.

At that time, he was registered thanks to a personal guarantee from president Joan Laporta and treasurer Ferran Olivé. The amount was around €11 million.

This guarantee was lifted in January 2023 when Gerard Pique’s retirement freed up enough salary space to accommodate Kounde.

Either way, the option remains on the table for Barcelona to register Garcia through guarantees if the Ter Stegen way does not pan out.