Exclusive: Gavi intentions on joining Liverpool or Man City made clear as Barcelona rage at LaLiga ruling
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TEAMtalk can reveal the latest on Barcelona midfielder Gavi after LaLiga ruled against him being awarded a senior contract.
The talented 18-year-old was reportedly in talks to join Liverpool and Manchester City before he signed his now-rejected deal but turned them down in favour of remaining at the Camp Nou.
Gavi signed the new lucrative contract earlier this season but as mentioned, this has since been blocked by LaLiga, meaning he legally remains on his previous youth contract which expires in the summer.
Barca have been paying Gavi as a senior player and therefore could face legal action when they declare their annual accounts, given there is no legal basis for the club to be paying anything above the academy wage dictated on his previous deal.
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La Liga’s President, Javier Tebas, recently explained the decision:
He said: “[Gavi] has a salary that, as of November, cannot be registered because Barça is over their cap by €200m. We cannot skip the control rules.”
READ MORE: Euro Paper Talk: Liverpool prepare offer near £35m for ‘irregular’ La Liga midfielder; Man City join race for Real Madrid star
Now, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has claimed that Gavi would ideally prefer to remain at Barca, despite speculation surrounding his future.
Bailey exclusively told TEAMtalk: “Barcelona are not happy with the rulings that has seen Gavi revert to his junior contract and his first-team deal suspended.
“I am told that Barcelona have kept Gavi informed at every point and the player, whilst not loving the situation, has little intention of taking advantage of any option that would allow him to leave for nothing.
“Gavi had the chance to move last summer before signing this deal, and he didn’t.
“Speaking to people around his previous suitors like Liverpool and Man City, they also don’t believe he wants to move.”
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Liverpool and Manchester City would love to sign Gavi this summer, with both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola being big admirers of the youngster.
Despite the midfielder’s desire to remain with the Catalonians, if Barca fail to free up enough funds to officially register him by the end of the current campaign, Gavi could still be forced to move elsewhere.
Indeed, if Barca do face legal action for playing the Spaniard as a senior player, they may struggle to do so, which could open the door for another club to swoop in for his signature.
READ MORE: ‘Impossible’ situation sees Liverpool player ‘ready to leave’, with Klopp forced into replacing star who’s ‘done nothing wrong’