Barcelona have on Friday taken their appeal against a FIFA-imposed transfer ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
La Blaugrana were earlier this year sanctioned for the signing of underage players from outside Spain and banned from signing players for two transfer windows.
Sport reports Barca took a number of players from La Masia to act as witnesses and a decision on the appeal is expected before the end of the year.
Barca are understood to be hoping to have the embargo reduced to one transfer window, which would enable them to make signings in the summer of 2015.
Sport says Koke and Marco Reus are two of the names on the shortlist for next year and if the ban is halved, work will begin on those signings very shortly.
