FC Barcelona has a great challenge ahead of this summer transfer market 2025/26. The Azulgrana entity still has to register the two signings it has made so far: left winger Marcus Rashford and goalkeeper Joan García. A topic about which, as of today, there are not too many certainties about when the culé team will be able to finalize it.
Deco's key meeting with Joan García's representatives
In the midst of this climate of uncertainty, according to the sports newspaper SPORT, the club's sporting director, Deco, and Alejandro Echevarría, presidential advisor, held an extensive meeting with Juanma López and Ramón Valencia, agent and lawyer of Joan García. A summit that, according to the aforementioned source, would not have been held to discuss sports or transfer matters.
This meeting between the Barcelona team and the goalkeeper's representatives would have had the objective of resolving pending documentation issues, as well as working on the registration of the goalkeeper from Sallent de Llobregat. All in order to solve this issue as soon as possible, understanding that the culé team wants to avoid a new case like that of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor at all costs.
Ter Stegen will undergo surgery: open door to Joan García's registration?
Now, with the meeting between Joan García's agent and lawyer with Deco and company, it perhaps makes perfect sense that it took place this Thursday. It should not be forgotten that, on this day, it was announced that Marc-André ter Stegen will have to undergo surgery to undergo a reoperation and solve the lumbar problems he has been suffering from.
What does this have to do with Joan García's registration? A lot, since it was speculated that, if the German goalkeeper ended up undergoing surgery to correct that back ailment, he could end up missing up to four official months of competition.
An issue that Barcelona could take advantage of to invoke article 77 of the regulations for the preparation of budgets for clubs and SAD in LaLiga, which establishes that in the event of an injury that implies a period of four or more months of absence, up to 80% of the cost of the player in the registerable sports squad may be used to register another asset.
This registration, it should be noted, must be requested within a period of 30 calendar days from the date on which the player's injury is made official.
This space could be used by Barcelona to register the Catalan goalkeeper. A maneuver that is not foreign to them, as happened in the 2024/25 season. After the serious injury of Andreas Christensen, the club took advantage of his absence to register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor.
Ter Stegen's absence may not be enough to activate article 77
At this point, it will be necessary to see if MATS's recovery after the operation ends up being estimated as lasting, beyond four months. Everything will depend on the validation of LaLiga's medical committee, which analyzes the medical documentation presented by the Azulgrana team to determine if the absence meets the established criteria.
However, we have to wait to know if this route ends up being applied. It is not ruled out that Ter Stegen may return sooner, as he said in his message to the culés to confirm his operation: "the doctors believe that about three months will be necessary as a precaution". So, if this prediction is fulfilled, the German's absence would not allow the team from the Ciudad Condal to invoke article 77 of LaLiga again, and the club would have to look for another alternative to register Joan García.