Barcelona have reportedly failed with an appeal to register Gavi as a first-team player, and the midfielder is at risk of leaving the club for free this summer.
Gavi, 18, joined Barca's academy in 2015 from Real Betis and worked his way through the club's youth system before making his professional debut in August 2021.
The Spaniard has since established himself as a first-team regular under head coach Xavi and has made a total of 84 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals and providing 11 assists.
Gavi is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in Europe, but his long-term future at Camp Nou has been called into question due to the terms of his contract.
Barca announced in September last year that Gavi had put pen to paper on a new contract until June 2026, although he was still assigned as an academy player.
© Reuters
Gavi's new deal included a clause that would allow the midfielder to leave for free if Barca failed to register him as a first-team player by June 30, 2023, with the Catalan giants only able to change his squad status during a transfer window.
According to reports in Spain, via The Sun, Barcelona thought they had registered the Spain international during the January transfer window after obtaining a precautionary measure, but La Liga launched an appeal and claimed they had missed the deadline as well as breached their salary limit rules.
Barcelona's financial problems have been well-documented for some time, and La Liga ruled earlier this month that the Catalan club must raise £177m before they can sign and register new players.
The Spanish court initially ruled in favour of La Liga earlier this month, although 'no concrete verdict' was reached and Gavi was able to continue playing with a first-team status.
The report adds that Barca lodged an appeal against the verdict on March 15, which was rejected five days later by the 10th Commercial Court of Barcelona.
© Reuters
As a result, Gavi is no longer regarded as a first-team player and is forced to continue with the terms of his academy contract, which runs until the end of the season.
The youngster will also be required to change from wearing the No.6 shirt to the No.30 which he previously donned at the start of his career.
Gavi's situation at Camp Nou is understood to have alerted a number of top European clubs, who could battle for his signature should he become a free agent this summer.
Premier League giants Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been credited with an interest, while Bayern Munich are allegedly the latest club to join the race.
