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Barcelona have reportedly registered Martin Braithwaite and Samuel Umtiti for the 2022-23 season but have not handed the duo shirt numbers, as per The Daily Mail.
The report suggests that the Blaugrana have registered only 17 players ahead of the new season. Xavi Hernandez's side will take on Rayo Vallecano on Saturday (August 13) and will be without any of their summer signings.
Among the 17 players they have registered, the duo of Martin Braithwaite and Samuel Umtiti feature alongside young midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The trio have not been assigned any shirt number as the Catalan giants are looking to offload both Umtiti and Braithwaite while allowing Gonzalez to join Valencia on loan.
Barcelona have spent almost £145 million during the summer transfer window to revamp their squad. They have splashed the cash on the trio of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde while signing Frank Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
However, the Blaugrana now face a battle against time to register their five new faces as they will need to raise around £85 million before Saturday’s league opener to do so.
The Blaugrana have also failed to register Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto, who both signed new deals this summer.
The trio of Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Abde Ezzalzouili are allowed to play without being registered as they qualify for the homegrown quota.
Umtiti and Braithwaite are unlikely to feature in Barcelona's season opener while Memphis Depay is expected to join Juventus. Xavi Hernandez will find it difficult to name his matchday squad against Rayo Vallecano with potentially just 13 senior players to pick from.
Can Barcelona come out of their financial crisis?
Barcelona's situation is quite unprecedented and fans will have to wait and see whether they can recover from it or not.
The Daily Mail claims that the Catalan giants have a debt of £1.14 billion but they have still splashed the cash in the ongoing transfer window
Xavi Hernandez has signed Lewandowski, Raphinha and Kounde for £42 million, £55 million and £46 million, respectively while signing Kessie and Christensen arrived at the club on free transfers.
Barca president Joan Laporta has been raising new funds by activating financial levers, which has allowed them to make new signings. However, the Catalan giants have not been able to reduce their wage bill and are yet to meet the salary cap regulations of La Liga.
