Revealed: Ilkay Gundogan can leave Barcelona for FREE if he is not registered in time for La Liga opener against Getafe

Ilkay Gundogan can reportedly leave Barcelona for free if he isn't registered in time for their Liga opener against Getafe.

According to SPORT and a number of other Spanish outlets, Gundogan's contract has a significant clause that will allow him to leave the club for free if he is not registered in time for Barcelona's first La Liga match of the 2023-24 season against Getafe. He joined the Catalan club on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City at the end of June, having turned down a contract extension with the treble winners to realise a long-held dream of joining the Spanish giants.

However, the delay in his registration has raised concerns, especially with Barcelona facing financial challenges. If Gundogan does end up leaving for free, Barcelona will have to pay his €10 million (£8.64m/$11m) wages for the first year of his three-year deal.

Barcelona have got just 13 players registered with La Liga. However, the potential departures of Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain and Franck Kessie to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli will help to reduce their salary bill. Moreover, president Joan Laporta is also ready to sell a 16% stake in Barca Studios worth €65m (£56.15m/$71.5m) to a German investment firm to further boost the finances.

With only a few days remaining until Barca's La Liga opener against Getafe on Sunday, the clock is ticking for Barcelona to finalise Gundogan's registration. Laporta, is actively working on player sales and financial strategies to secure the team's stability. Before that, it remains to be seen if the German is fielded against Tottenham during the Joan Gamper trophy on Tuesday.