Barcelona veteran’s departure not enough for club to register key new signing – report

Barcelona may have offloaded Inigo Martinez to Saudi side Al Nassr, but the financial breathing room it creates is not enough to immediately register new players like Joan Garcia. 

In fact, according to an update from MARCA, although Martinez’s departure does free up salary space, the club’s financial fair play status still restricts them from acting swiftly.

The centre-back, who earned around €14 million per season, will join the Saudi Arabian club in the coming hours.

His move was made possible through a clause in his contract, which allowed him to leave if a club from the Arab League came in with a substantial offer. 

Barcelona respected this clause and did not stand in his way, understanding the personal and financial benefits the deal represented for the player. 

The defender has maintained a professional attitude throughout his time at the club, and his departure has been amicable.

Registration of Joan Garcia still on hold

While the departure of Martinez saves a sizeable chunk of wages, it doesn’t directly translate into immediate player registrations. 

Barcelona are still not operating under the 1:1 La Liga rule, meaning they can’t reinvest the full amount saved. Instead, they can only use 50% of the released salary for new signings.

That presents a serious problem. Even with the freed-up funds, it is not enough to register key players like Joan Garcia or others, including Marcus Rashford and the remaining six awaiting registration. 

In Garcia’s case, the issue is not just his wages but also the amortisation of the €25 million fee paid to Espanyol, which complicates matters further.

Barcelona’s financial constraints continue to affect their ability to build the squad effectively. 

While departures like Iñigo’s help in the long run, short-term solutions remain out of reach until more exits or salary reductions are achieved.