Following the serious injury to Marc-André ter Stegen, which could keep the German goalkeeper out for several months, FC Barcelona faces a critical situation. 

With the injury confirmed, the Catalan club may turn to LaLiga’s rule allowing for the signing of a replacement in the event of long-term injuries. 

This mechanism, outlined in Article 77 of the Budgeting Regulations, has already been used by Barcelona in the past, including for Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen this season, and for Gavi last season.

The Option to Sign with a Time Limit

According to this rule, Barcelona has the option to sign a free agent or an out-of-contract player to replace Ter Stegen. However, the regulation sets a 30-day window from the date of the injury for the club to make the signing, meaning they have until October 22 to act.

Additionally, the club can only allocate 80% of Ter Stegen's salary to sign a replacement, which limits their options. Importantly, the new signing does not have to be a goalkeeper; any unemployed player can be registered to cover the German's absence.

The Risk of Waiting Until the Winter Transfer Market

If Barcelona fails to register a replacement before October 22, they will have to wait until the winter transfer window in January. At that point, the club can sign a player from another team, but they face challenges due to their financial situation. 

Currently, Barcelona is exceeding its Salary Cap, as confirmed by LaLiga’s most recent notification. This means that if they don’t generate significant income, they risk not being able to register any new players in January. Dani Olmo, for example, is only registered until December 31 due to this financial constraint.

Barcelona's situation is complicated, and they will need to make strategic decisions in the coming days to cover Ter Stegen’s absence without further straining their tight financial margins.

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