Barcelona Granted Special Dispensation To Sign New Striker
Barcelona have been given special dispensation by La Liga authorities to sign a new centre forward outside the transfer window following injuries to key players in that position.
Uruguayan hitman Luis Suarez and French world cup winner Ousmane Dembele have been ruled out for four and six months respectively, leaving the Spanish champions thin upfront.
Barcelona have been left with Lionel Messi, Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann as their only fit senior attackers with more than three months of the season left to play.
La Liga rules allow Spanish clubs to sign replacements if their players are ruled out of action for at least five months.
Barcelona duly submitted the relevant documents backing their claim to La Liga’s medical committee last Thursday, and following a thorough review they have been given 15 days to bring in a new striker.
As part of the terms and conditions related to the signing, Barcelona can only sign a free agent or a player contracted to a Spanish club in the top flight.
The new striker can only play La Liga games, meaning he will be unavailable for Barcelona’s Champions League campaign, which resumes with a trip to Napoli in the round of 16 next week.
Early frontrunners to help ease Barcelona’s injury situation upfront include Getafe’s Angel Rodriguez, who scored against the Blaugrana on Saturday, Deportivo Alavez’s former Arsenal and West Ham United striker Lucas Perez and Levante forward Roger Marti.
Barcelona are a point behind leaders Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish La Liga title with the two teams meeting for the season’s second El Clasico on March 1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
