Barça return to the 1:1 rule. Cancelo may still miss out
FC Barcelona are operating under LaLiga’s 1:1 rule for the first time since the 2020/21 season. The club can finally register new players without another emergency financial operation. It all sounds suspiciously normal. Fortunately, João Cancelo’s case ensures supporters still have a reason to keep checking the clock.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will begin processing the registrations of Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri and João Cancelo on Thursday. The club expects its new signings to be available for Sunday’s LaLiga opener away to Elche, scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
Gordon, Adeyemi and Rodri are not expected to encounter major difficulties. Cancelo’s situation is less certain. The Portuguese defender’s transfer is only due to be officially announced on Thursday, leaving Barcelona with very little time to complete his registration before the opening fixture.
Barça have therefore returned to financial normality for the first time in several years, although one familiar tradition has survived. The club can operate under the 1:1 rule, its revenue for the 2025/26 financial year reportedly exceeded €1 billion and LaLiga president Javier Tebas has been praising its management. Yet one of the new arrivals could still miss the first match because the deal is being completed just days before the season begins. Even calm at Barcelona tends to arrive with a footnote.
Jesse Bisiwu’s situation is much simpler. The 18-year-old Belgian will be registered with the reserve team as originally planned. He already wore the number 27 during the Joan Gamper Trophy.
For Hansi Flick, the key point is that Gordon, Adeyemi and Rodri should all be available in Elche. Cancelo remains a race against time, but not because of another salary-limit crisis or a missing financial lever. This time, the problem may simply be late paperwork.
That still counts as progress. Barcelona once waited for an entire squad-building plan to be approved. Now they are waiting for only one player. The 1:1 rule is back, although the clock continues to move faster than the club.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
