Barcelona are back under the 1:1 rule. Four new signings are still waiting for registration
Barcelona have returned to LaLiga’s 1:1 rule, officially signed four major players and recovered the financial freedom they had been chasing for years. It almost sounds normal. The only problem is that Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri and João Cancelo are reportedly still waiting to be registered.
La Razón reported on Thursday evening that Barcelona had not yet completed the registration of any of those four first-team signings. At the time of the report, the only new registration-related entry in the system was said to concern Héctor Fort.
This is not necessarily another Dani Olmo situation. Returning to the 1:1 rule means Barcelona can use every euro generated or saved to cover new spending and contracts. The required salary room is believed to be available. The remaining obstacles are reportedly procedural: deadlines, documents and the time required to process them.
The 1:1 rule has returned. The automatic “register everyone” button was apparently not included.
Cancelo’s case is considered the most complicated. The Portuguese full-back was only officially unveiled on Thursday after signing a contract until 30 June 2029. According to reports cited by Sports Illustrated, Barcelona were still waiting for part of the documentation connected to the termination of his agreement with Al-Hilal.
Barcelona are expected to deal with the registrations in a specific order. Gordon, Adeyemi and Rodri should enter the system first, with Cancelo following afterwards. The clock is already running because Hansi Flick’s team are scheduled to face Elche at the Estadio Martínez Valero on Sunday, 23 August, at 21:30.
More recent reports from Spain offer Barcelona some reassurance. AS claims the club should be able to register all its new signings without serious difficulty after returning to the 1:1 rule. Gordon and Adeyemi could be included against Elche, while Rodri and Cancelo may be left out because of how late they joined the squad.
That distinction matters. Being omitted from the matchday squad would not necessarily mean that a player had failed to obtain registration. Flick could simply decide that Rodri and Cancelo require more training before making their first appearances.
Cancelo himself insists that he is available. “I feel good physically. I have been training since the break,” he told Barcelona’s official media during his presentation. The player’s readiness is official. The readiness of every document remains a matter of media reporting and an anticipated update to LaLiga’s system.
Jesse Bisiwu is expected to be handled separately. The young striker should be registered with Barcelona’s reserve team, meaning his case is not directly tied to the four high-profile additions to Flick’s first-team squad.
LaLiga have not released an official statement confirming either a major problem or the completion of the entire process. There is therefore no basis for claiming that Barcelona will definitely be unable to use their new signings on Sunday. What can be said is that the club have once again entered a match week with considerable attention focused on a registration database.
Barcelona have won the main battle and returned to the 1:1 rule. They now have to defeat deadlines, documentation and paperwork arriving from Saudi Arabia. In recent years, that part of the season has produced more tension at the club than several matches combined.
Sources: La Razón · AS · FC Barcelona – João Cancelo’s presentation · official FC Barcelona schedule
