Marcus Rashford has still not been registered by new club Barcelona, with manager Hansi Flick saying he is “not happy” about the situation.
The Spanish champions’ season begins on Saturday, but they are struggling to sign players because of La Liga’s financial rules.
In the 2024-25 season, Barca spent more on buying players and on wages than they made in revenue.
“For me, the situation, you can imagine I’m not happy about that. But I know the situation and I believe in the club,” Flick told a news conference on Friday.
Barcelona’s finances have proved an issue in recent years, with them only being able to register Dani Olmo for the first half of the 2024-25 season as a special exception.
They then had two appeals rejected in their attempt to register him for the rest of the season. The club were allowed to re-register him temporarily in January 2025, and that was extended to the end of the season in April.
In 2022, they only managed to register four signings – including striker Robert Lewandowski – shortly before their opening fixture after freeing up funding with with several ‘economic levers’.
This season, they have managed to partially help their registration headache by getting German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to agree to a long-term medical leave agreement, freeing up 80% of his wage value to register a replacement.
The departure of 34-year-old defender Inigo Martinez to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr has also freed up salary space.
Defender Joao Garcia is also yet to be registered.
Who: Mallorca vs Barcelona What: Spanish La Liga Where: Estadi Mallorca Son Moix in Mallorca, Spain When: Saturday at 7:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 4:30pm (15:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Barcelona begin their defence of their La Liga title on Saturday after flying to the island of Mallorca.
The Catalan club disposed of their fierce rivals and winners of the previous year’s title, Real Madrid, on all fronts last season.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the first major match of the new La Liga season and what clues there may be as to whether Barca will give Real a glimpse of hope in the title race this time around.
How dominant were Barcelona last season?
The Catalan club is coming off one of its best seasons in years, having won the league, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. It also went deep in the Champions League, reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2019.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, right, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen lift the trophy after winning La Liga last season [File: Albert Gea/Reuters]
How big a role will Marcus Rashford play at Barcelona?
In its second year under coach Hansi Flick, the Catalan club will try to add to its success from last season by boosting its squad with Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United. He will be teaming up with Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski in an attacking front that was one of the best in Europe last season.
It led the scoring charts both in the Spanish league – with more than 100 goals – and in the Champions League.
With Lewandowski set to miss the start of the new season, Rashford will vie with Ferran Torres for a place in Barca’s attack.
After Rashford fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford, his move to Barcelona presents a huge chance to rebuild his career.
Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford came on as a substitute in the preseason friendly with Como on August 10, 2025 [Quique Garcia/EPA]
What other changes have Barcelona made?
Leaving the team are veteran defender Inigo Martínez, who has signed with Saudi club Al-Nassr, and Ansu Fati, who went on loan to Monaco after not playing much last season.
How many La Liga titles have Barcelona won?
Last season’s title was Barcelona’s 28th trophy lift in La Liga. Real Madrid are the record winners with 36 victories to their name.
Has Mallorca ever beaten Barcelona?
Yes. The Spanish islanders have won 17 of their 75 meetings. Barca, however, have won 44 of the encounters.
Where did Mallorca finish last season?
Mallorca squeezed into the top half of La Liga last season with a 10th-placed finish.
Only one team had a worse home record among the top 12 teams last season after Mallorca recorded only seven wins in 19 league matches in front of their own crowd. Six of those games resulted in defeats.
Barcelona’s Dani Olmo scored the only goal in the last meeting with Mallorca [File: Albert Gea/Reuters]
What happened the last time Barcelona met Mallorca?
Barca narrowly beat Mallorca 1-0 at home in their last meeting in April. Dani Olmo scored the only goal in the first minute of the second half to settle the La Liga match.
The corresponding fixture resulted in a 5-1 win for Barca with Raphinha netting twice.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick’s prematch thoughts
“We are working hard to face this new season. Winning three titles last year is not the end – it’s a continuation. We will give everything this year.
“Lamine Yamal still has room to improve. I like what I’m seeing. He’s training very well, with and without the ball, defending and pressing.”
Head-to-head
Mallorca have not defeated Barcelona since May 2009 – a 2-1 home win in an end-of-season affair in La Liga.
Barca, meanwhile, have won 14 of their last 15 matches against Mallorca in all competitions.
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres celebrates scoring their fourth goal to complete a hat-trick against Valencia in the Copa del Rey last season [File: Pablo Morano/Reuters]
Mallorca team news
Pablo Maffeo will be heavily missed in defence due to a hamstring injury.
Pablo Torre is set to start against his former side, having joined from Barcelona in the summer window. Spain Under-21 international Mateo Joseph is also in line to feature, having joined on loan from Leeds United.
Omar Mascarell has a suspension hanging over from last season after his booking in the final game of the last La Liga campaign.
Barcelona team news
The Catalan club starts the season without veteran goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen because of surgery for lower back problems.
The goalkeeper was at odds with the club about his recovery time. He was provisionally stripped of his captaincy for refusing to sign a medical report about the injury, but he and the club eventually reached an agreement that restored his role as captain.
Veteran striker Lewandowski also isn’t expected to play early in the new campaign because of a muscle issue. Rashford’s registration after his loan from Manchester United has proved problematic, similar to the financial issues that held up Dani Olmo’s participation last season.
The United States capital, Washington, DC, has challenged President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court, hours after his administration stepped up its crackdown on policing by naming the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief, a federal official, as the new emergency head of the department, with all the powers of a police chief.
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said on Friday in a new lawsuit that Trump is exceeding his power under the law. Schwalb urged a judge to rule that control of the department remains in the city’s hands, and he has also sought an emergency restraining order.
“The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Schwalb said.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser also pushed back, writing on social media that “there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”
Let us be clear about what the law requires during a Presidential declared emergency: it requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President.
We have followed the law.
In… pic.twitter.com/XfaNqLalFU
The lawsuit comes after Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday night that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police”. The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders, Bondi said.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that the federal government would take control of the District of Columbia (DC) Metropolitan Police Department to address surging crime.
“I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,” Trump said during the news conference, in which he was joined by Bondi, who was initially set to oversee the city’s police force while it is under federal control.
“This is Liberation Day in DC, and we’re going to take our capital back. We’re taking it back,” Trump said.
He also announced the deployment of the National Guard.
“I’m deploying the National Guard to help re-establish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC, and they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly,” he said.
Trump also said that he intends to remove the capital’s homeless population, but did not provide details on how the plan would be carried out.
Residents wary of escalated show of force
A Washington population already on edge from days of Trump administration ramp-ups has begun witnessing more significant shows of force across the city.
National Guard troops watched over some of the country’s most renowned landmarks and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train hub, Union Station.
Volunteers have helped homeless people leave longstanding encampments, but where they were relocating to was often unclear.
Department of Homeland Security police stood outside Nationals Park during a baseball game on Thursday. DEA agents patrolled The Wharf, a popular nightlife area, while Secret Service officers were seen in the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood.
The sudden spike in high visibility of federal forces around the city, including in many busy traffic areas, has struck residents going about their day-to-day lives.
Trump has the power to take over federal law enforcement for 30 days before his actions must be reviewed by Congress, though he has said he will re-evaluate as that deadline approaches.
Great Britain’s women’s flag football team will face Austria in the quarter-finals of the World Games after completing their group campaign on Friday.
Britain followed up their opening win on Thursday by beating Japan 26-24 in the first of their two Friday matches, then losing 34-13 to defending champions Mexico.
That meant Mexico topped Group B, so face the fourth-placed team in Group A – hosts China – while runners-up Britain face third-placed Austria.
The tournament in Chengdu is seen as crucial for the GB team’s development before flag football makes its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.
The World Games is a global multi-sport event showcasing sports not currently on the Olympic programme.
Japan are ranked third and beat Britain 40-34 in the quarter-finals of the Worlds, but that defeat was avenged on Friday. GB held on for a narrow win, with quarterback Jessica Allen making four touchdown passes.
The European champions led 20-12 at half-time after Grace Conway scored twice, either side of a Hannah Elliott touchdown.
Marta Mathews scored to keep GB clear in the second half and although Japan also finished with four touchdowns, they failed to add the extra point on each occasion.
GB twice went in front in their final group game, with Allen making touchdown passes to Elliott and Emily Kemp, but Mexico led 14-13 at half-time and finished with five touchdowns – all from Diana Flores passes.
The winner of GB’s quarter-final with Austria will face the USA or Italy in the semi-finals.
Bournemouth have opened talks to sign Scotland winger Ben Doak from Liverpool.
The Reds want £25m for the 19-year-old, who is expected to be left out of their squad for Friday’s Premier League season opener against Bournemouth.
Doak has been a target for other Premier League clubs and Portuguese side Porto, but the Cherries are considered the frontrunners to sign him, according to multiple sources involved in the deal.
The forward, who has six caps for Scotland, spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, scoring three times and recording seven assists in 24 matches.
He has played just 10 times for Liverpool since joining from Celtic in 2022.
Bournemouth, who have agreed to sell Dango Ouattara to Brentford for £42.5m, are keen to reduce the price for Doak in negotiations.
It has been a busy summer for the Cherries after losing defenders Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez for a total of about £150m.
Manager Andoni Iraola admitted his side are “not where they want to be” before the trip to Anfield but added “important movements” will be made before the transfer window closes on 1 September.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has a chance to “revive his career” after joining newly promoted Leeds, says boss Daniel Farke.
The 28-year-old striker has signed a three-year contract on a free transfer after ending a nine-year spell with Everton on a disappointing note.
Calvert-Lewin earned 11 England caps during his time with the Toffees, but was hindered by a series of injuries in recent seasons and left at the end of last term when his contract expired.
Farke said: “It’s a chance for him to revive his career and reach his former heights, when he was outstanding at the Premier League level, and it’s a big chance for us because we’ve got a proven Premier League player.
Having arrived from Sheffield United in 2016, Calvert-Lewin scored 57 goals in 239 Premier League appearances for Everton, with his best haul of 21 in all competitions in 2020-21.
Since then he has failed to reach double figures and was restricted to just 18 games in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.
In all, Calvert-Lewin scored 71 goals in 273 games for Everton and becomes Leeds’ eighth signing since earning promotion back to the top flight.
“We are all pretty happy and delighted that he will wear a Leeds shirt from now on,” added Farke.
“As a newly promoted side, we want to sign players that have already delivered at the top level, but are still at a good age and on the way up in the career, not already on their way down. Those boxes are all ticked by Dominic.
“We don’t have to speak about his qualities, he has more or less all the skills that you would like your striker to have.
“Of course, his last few seasons were interrupted by injuries but he still managed to play 26 games last season.”
Top flight’s ‘worst finisher since 2022’ – analysis
Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist
Calvert-Lewin’s signing is a fascinating one for Leeds.
The injury-plagued Patrick Bamford failed to start a Championship match last season, making 17 appearances as a substitute, and, having said he can leave, Leeds have now recruited a player with a similar profile and questionable fitness record.
Calvert-Lewin missed three months of last season and has not scored more than seven Premier League goals in any of the past four campaigns.
Statistically, he can be considered the worst finisher of any forward in the top flight. Since the start of 2022-23, he’s scored just 12 times in total from an xG of 25.7 – the biggest underperformance of any player during this period (-13.7), while former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is second on this list at -8.5.
However, the fact Calvert-Lewin was offered a new deal by Everton before he left shows he retains value as an effective lone target man and capable of occupying defenders.
He could get the chance to do that on Monday against his former club, who are without England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite through injury.
