Gone are the days when La Blaugrana could prance around, shooting and slaying whatever prey they set their sights on; these days, Barcelona have to toil simply to register the players they already possess.
As the winter transfer window reached its conclusion, Barcelona were unable to add any significant power to their squad, resulting in the club having to focus on restructuring their finances and ensuring that some of their current players could be accommodated under the salary cap.
The Catalan club improved its financial situation recently but still struggled to comply with the Spanish league’s strict fair-play rules.
Their only hopes for last-minute deals reportedly involved Mexican right back Julian Araujo, the U.S. born player who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina.
First, though, Barcelona wanted to give young star Gavi a first-team contract and register defenders Ronald Araujo and Marcos Alonso after they renewed their deals with the club.
They were able to get the Gavi deal done, in part thanks to the retirement of Gerard Pique and the departures of Hector Bellerin to Sporting Lisbon and Memphis Depay to Atletico Madrid, but Araujo's and Alonso's revamped contracts likely won't take effect until the summer.
Spanish league president Javier Tebas had said Barcelona will have to save more than 200 million euros ahead of the summer transfer window, but Gavi was allowed to be registered thanks to a court ruling in favor of the Catalan club.
The league said it would appeal the ruling. Getting the 18-year-old to the first team is crucial for Barcelona to keep him from having the option of leaving for free in the summer.
Real Madrid are in a better situation financially but also aren't likely to add anyone to their squad other than Brazilian teenage sensation Endrick from Palmeiras, who was signed on a deal that will see him join the club when he turns 18 in 2024.
On the other hand, they were not expected to lose any of the top players who helped them win the Champions League and the Spanish league last season.
Madrid rival Atletico signed Dutch forward Depay on loan from Barcelona and Irish right-back Matt Doherty after Tottenham released him but lost Matheus Cunha to Wolverhampton and Joao Felix on loan to Chelsea. Defender Felipe joined Nottingham Forest in England.
Other teams
Rayo Vallecano were finally able to register forward Raul de Tomas after his transfer from Espanyol hadn't come through in time at the previous transfer deadline.
Defending Copa del Rey champion Real Betis lost defender Alex Moreno to Aston Villa, while the only loss for Copa runner-up Valencia was coach Gennaro Gattuso, whose contract was terminated by mutual agreement on Monday.
Cadiz signed midfielder Youba Diarra from Salzburg, while Getafe brought in Gonzalo Villar on loan from Roma. Girona signed Peru defender Alexander Callens from New York City, while Mallorca added defender Ludwig Augustinsson from Aston Villa after seeing Braian Cufre move to NYC in Major League Soccer.
Valladolid signed Canadian forward Cyle Larin, and struggling Sevilla has added defender Loic Bade from Rennes, midfielder Pape Gueye from Olympique Marseille and forward Bryan Gil on a loan from Tottenham. The Spanish club loaned midfielder Thomas Delaney to Hoffenheim.
Villarreal lost goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli to Ajax and forward Arnaut Danjuma to Tottenham, while Espanyol added midfielder Denis Suarez after he left Celta Vigo.