This week, Barcelona suffered a major blow with the confirmation of Gavi’s serious injury. The Spanish midfielder had been dealing with knee issues for several weeks, and medical tests brought bad news: he will need to undergo meniscus surgery and is expected to be sidelined for four to five months.
The news created an unexpected problem for head coach Hansi Flick, considering Gavi is one of the most important midfielders in the squad. To solve this, the Catalan side has the exceptional possibility of signing a replacement player despite the transfer window being closed — but that reportedly won’t happen.
According to Marca, Barcelona have decided not to pursue the signing of an additional player to cover Gavi’s absence. Instead, they will stick with the current roster at least until January, meaning they will go through the first half of La Liga and the group stage of the UEFA Champions League without any reinforcements.
The main reason behind this decision is sporting. At this point in the season, the chances of finding a quality player who could truly strengthen Los Blaugranas are very slim. Most clubs have finalized their squads for the 2025–26 campaign and won’t agree to let go of key players.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick.
That limits the search to players who currently lack a prominent role at their clubs or who are playing in lower-tier leagues. And clearly, that type of signing wouldn’t meet Barcelona’s standards.
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Financial troubles continue for Barcelona
Even if Barcelona considered going to the market right now to look for a replacement for Gavi, they would face another problem: their financial situation. For years, they’ve struggled to build their squads at the start of each season due to La Liga’s regulations and their own financial imbalances.
This was evident again this summer, when Los Blaugranas had to work until the last minute to ensure the registration of the few new signings brought in for this season: Joan Garcia, Roony Bardghji, and Marcus Rashford.
While signing a player to replace Gavi now wouldn’t affect their current financial limits for this La Liga season, it would create a problem for the 2026–27 campaign. That means they’d be adding an extra burden for next year.
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Barcelona’s options without Gavi
Given this scenario, Hansi Flick will have to find solutions within the current roster. This season, Gavi had only played two matches before being sidelined with physical issues. He came off the bench in the second half against Mallorca and Levante in La Liga, logging a total of 66 minutes.
The midfielder with the most minutes for Barcelona this year is Pedri, who started all six matches in both La Liga and the Champions League. The other player who appeared in every match — though coming off the bench in four of them — is Dani Olmo. In addition, Frenkie De Jong, Fermin Lopez, and Marc Casado have all seen significant action. Even youngster Marc Bernal has logged minutes. These are the players Flick will have to rely on until Gavi returns.
