Barcelona have included Dani Olmo and Pau Victor in their Spanish Super Cup squad despite the fact that neither of the pair are currently registered to play for the club.
Olmo and Victor are currently at the centre of a registration saga which is set to overshadow Barcelona's build-up to Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona were able to register Olmo and Victor in the summer due to injuries at the time, but the registrations were only applicable until December 31.
The Blaugrana have been working to meet the La Liga's financial fair play rules so they could extend the pair's registrations beyond the end of 2024.
However, while they have now met the 1:1 requirements, the rules state that a team cannot register a player twice in the same season except for "force majeure".
Barcelona name Olmo, Victor in Spanish Super Cup squad
As a result, Olmo is not currently registered with La Liga and is able to become a free agent due to a clause in his contract.
Olmo's uncertain situation has attracted interest from elsewhere, including from Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester City.
AC Milan have also entered the picture, having reportedly tabled an offer to sign Olmo for six months before allowing him to return to Barcelona.
Despite the interest in his services, Olmo has been named in Hansi Flick's squad for the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Victor has also been included in the travelling party, even though he and Olmo are currently ineligible to play for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona are going to court to appeal the decision made by La Liga and the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation), with the club seemingly hopeful that they can register the pair this week.
But if they are unsuccessful in their appeal, Olmo and Victor will have to watch on from the stands when Barcelona take on Athletic in Wednesday's semi-final.
Who else is in Barcelona's squad?
In positive news, Lamine Yamal will travel with the squad after recovering from an ankle injury which has kept him out of the last two games.
However, it is currently unclear whether Yamal will be able to start the semi-final in Jeddah due to his lack of training time ahead of the fixture.
Andreas Christensen, Hector Fort and Ferran Torres have been included with Yamal, although there is some doubt about the latter's fitness.
Meanwhile, Marc Bernal is also on the list after asking Flick if he could travel to support his teammates in their Super Cup campaign.
Bernal will only be a supporter though, with the midfielder continuing to work on his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that he sustained in August. body check tags ::
