‘Race Against Time’—Barcelona Risk Losing Summer Signing Before His Official Debut

Barcelona are battling the clock and La Liga’s strict financial regulations in an effort to get Roony Bardghji registered for first-team duty this season.

The Swedish teenager was a surprising summer recruit from FC Copenhagen for a modest €2.5 million ($2.9 million), well below the market value for other similarly talented young prospect. Bardghji was such a bargain because he had allowed his contract with the Danish giants to run into its final six months.

The buccaneering forward was one of the brightest sparks from the club’s preseason campaign yet has missed out on the first two rounds of La Liga fixtures in contractual limbo. Much like Gerard Martín and Wojciech Szczęsny, Bardghji is technically a Barcelona player but cannot play for the club in any official fixture until he is registered.

As Barcelona have effectively given up their attempts to appease La Liga, Bardghji and his two teammates can only get on the club’s books if more room in the wage bill is freed up.

This situation is worryingly described as “complicated” by SPORT, with Barcelona facing a “real race against time” to secure Bardghji’s future before deadline day on Sep. 1.

Roony Bardghji joined Barcelona earlier this summer. | X/Barcelona

Barcelona are thought to want the talented teen to stay in Catalonia yet optimism isn’t abundant. Flick has “gone from indignation to resignation” according to AS. Bardghji himself is said to be more confident, per Mundo Deportivo, but whether that represents anything more than blind faith remains to be seen.

There are clear avenues to find a way for Martín and Szczęsny to feature for Barcelona. Oriol Romeu’s proposed termination of his contract will pave the path for Martín’s arrival while an extension for Iñaki Peña is expected to give his fellow goalkeeper a spot in the squad. Bardghji’s future is not so apparent.

The 19-year-old played for the reserve team this weekend, scoring a Panenka penalty to win the match 3–2. Whether he will be content spending the next six months in the Segunda RFEF, the sprawling fourth tier of Spanish soccer, is another question.

Bardghji can’t even be loaned out. The Spanish federation requires players to be registered with a club before they can engage in any temporary or permanent transfer.