FC Barcelona are now reportedly at risk of starting the new LALIGA season with just 13 players.
According to ESPN, despite pulling a number of economic levers during the previous off-season, the Blaugrana still do not have the necessary funds to register a number of their new signings and players who recently inked contract renewals.
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Last year, the Catalan giants sold 49% of their content creation hub, Barca Studios, to two companies, namely socios.com and Orpheus Media, who each then owned 24.5 percent.
The terms of those deals were renegotiated, however, and the Spanish champions are now looking for another buyer to purchase part of the remaining stake they own.
The same report claims that the club was in talks with a German company to procure 16% of Barca Studios from the club for €65 million (R1.3 billion) in late July.
Rumours suggested that that deal may be off with an agreement taking longer than expected to be reached, but it is said the two parties are still working towards a mutually beneficially agreement.
With no new financing secured as yet, though, there are now concerns Xavi Hernandez could start the season with only 13 registered players, with just two weeks to go before the LALIGA campaign commences.
In recent months, the Blaugrana have been unable to register players who have renewed their contracts, such as Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo and Marcos Alonso.
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New signings Ilkay Gundogan, Oriel Romeu and Inigo Martinez will also be unable to take to the pitch for Barca, as things stand, because they, too, have not yet been registered.
With Ousmane Dembele looking set to join Paris Saint-Germain for a sizeable fee in the coming days and a few other players looking set to depart, however, Barca are hoping the funds recouped from those deals could help them in their registration crisis.
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