Barcelona are at risk of losing highly-rated midfield prospect Gavi for nothing after a judge effectively prevented the Spanish giants from registering the teenager's new contract.
Gavi, 18, was of interest to a host of elite European clubs earlier in the season but committed his future to Barcelona by agreeing a lucrative new deal - which includes a whopping €1billion (£866m) release clause - back in September.
However, LaLiga refused to ratify the deal due to the club's ongoing financial issues - and Barcelona have now suffered another blow as they continue with their attempts to register the contract they struck with the talented youngster earlier in the season.
Spanish outlet Relevo revealed on Monday that a judge has blocked Barcelona's attempts to register Gavi's new deal by lifting a precautionary measure which forced the league to ratify the contract earlier in the campaign. The decision was made as Barcelona filed their claim after the deadline.
The legal ruling means that the huge release clause in Gavi's new contract is not currently valid - and that could enable one of the 18-year-old's numerous admirers to pinch him for nothing in the summer.
Losing Gavi would be a monumental blow for Barcelona, who have already been informed that they will be unable to sign new players in the summer unless they can raise £178million.
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Since breaking into the first-team picture at the Nou Camp, Gavi has established himself as a key player in Xavi Hernandez' side, who are currently nine points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid at the summit of LaLiga.
Although Monday's ruling the youngster is not currently registered as a first-team player, Gavi is still able to feature in the first-team - meaning he is free to star in Sunday's seismic El Clasico.
The showdown, which is likely to have major title implications, represents another chance for Gavi to pull the strings against Barcelona's bitter rivals after he was influential in their victory in the Spanish Super Cup final earlier in the season.
Speaking after the match, Xavi lavished praise on the midfield maestro, who is donning the same No.6 jersey his boss wore during his Barca playing days. The Spaniard said: "Gavi is a boy that thrills us all when we see him competing like this. He puts his soul, his heart and his character on the pitch and transmits it to the rest of the team, and he is just 18.
"He was gifted with leadership skills. He projects that courage and that rage when he plays football and it's something special to see. I already said this many times but I never get tired of praising him. Hopefully, he will never stop like this, because he has no limits."
