LaLiga has intervened to block a proposed transfer of former Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal to Getafe, raising concerns that his declared salary is artificially low, according to Spanish radio show El Larguero.

Carvajal, 34, left Real Madrid as a free agent at the end of last season and had reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Getafe, the club based in the southern suburbs of Madrid. However, the league's financial control committee refused to ratify the deal.

A 96 percent pay cut that raised red flags

Getafe submitted paperwork proposing an annual wage of around €400,000 for the veteran full-back. LaLiga's economic regulators rejected the figure outright, ruling it implausible given that Carvajal reportedly earned €10 million per year at the Santiago Bernabeu — a drop of 96 percent.

Under LaLiga's Squad Cost Limit regulations, the governing body assigns its own baseline valuations to high-profile players to prevent clubs from under-reporting wage costs. Regulators determined that a player of Carvajal's standing — a decorated international and six-time UEFA Champions League winner — cannot credibly see his official salary collapse to such an extent without triggering scrutiny.

The fear of off-the-books arrangements

The crux of LaLiga's concern is the risk of undisclosed secondary payments. Clubs could theoretically circumvent salary cap restrictions by topping up a player's income through off-the-books commercial deals, hidden image-rights agreements, or third-party sponsorship arrangements kept outside official club accounts.

LaLiga's financial framework demands that every contract reflect realistic market values in order to preserve competitive balance across Spanish football.

The situation draws a pointed comparison to the financial charges currently surrounding Manchester City. Among the 114 alleged Premier League rule breaches brought against the club, a central accusation involves secret secondary payments — specifically, that Manchester City supplemented former manager Roberto Mancini's official salary with a separate consultancy contract tied to Abu Dhabi-based side Al Jazira, effectively hiding a portion of his true earnings from club accounts.

What happens next for Carvajal

Getafe manager Jose Bordalas had been keen to bring the experienced defender into his squad, but the transfer remains frozen unless Getafe can restructure the proposed contract to meet LaLiga's economic requirements.

Until an agreement satisfying the regulator is reached, Carvajal's next move remains uncertain — a stark illustration of Spain's uncompromising approach to financial compliance in football.