Dimitris Kouimtsidis
BARCELONA have completed the controversial emergency signing of Martin Braithwaite from Leganes for €18 million.
La Liga gave Barca permission to make a signing outside the transfer window after Ousmane Dembele was ruled out for six months due to injury.
The Spanish top flight allows teams to apply to make new signings if a player is ruled out for more than five months.
The Catalans are allowed to sign the 28-year-old, as rules stipulate that the player they are bringing in must be a free agent or already playing in Spain and that they can not play in UEFA competitions.
Leganes are in the relegation zone and have lost the forward, capped 39 times by Denmark, after Barcelona met his buy-out clause, without being allowed to replace him.
“We will raise our voice,” said Leganes director general Martin Ortega.
“We are in a situation of enormous and serious damage,” he continued.
“We cannot understand the current regulation that a club, having a long-term injury, can perform this operation unilaterally and transfer their problem to our club.
“We consider this regulation unfair, from which Barcelona has benefited.
“The one who is damaged by this is Leganes.”
The Dane’s contract is due to run until the summer of 2024 and has a €300 million buy-out clause.
