Barcelona's Goalkeeper Succession Plan: Livakovic Deal in Progress

Barcelona’s long-term goal in goal is already clear: Joan Garcia. Behind him, though, the club are quietly building the next layer of protection.

With Wojciech Szczesny tied to the Camp Nou until June 2027, the La Liga champions are moving now to secure the man expected to sit just behind Garcia in the pecking order. The name at the top of the list is Dominik Livakovic.

€3 million agreement on the table

In Croatia, the story is being treated as almost done. IndexHR, echoed by SPORT, report that Barcelona and Fenerbahce have reached an agreement for the Croatian international worth around €3 million plus a series of add-ons.

The blueprint is clear: sign Livakovic now, then park him for a year.

The idea would be to complete the transfer this summer and immediately loan him to Dinamo Zagreb for one season. After that, he would report to Barcelona, slot in as the No. 2 goalkeeper and take over from Szczesny when the Pole’s contract runs out, with Garcia remaining the undisputed starter.

On paper, it’s a neat, low-cost succession plan. In practice, there are still moving parts.

Deal advanced, future still open

Sources at SPORT cool some of the Croatian optimism. Yes, talks between Barcelona and Fenerbahce are described as advanced. No, Livakovic’s immediate future is not definitively sealed.

The preferred route inside the club is still a loan to Dinamo Zagreb, a familiar environment where he would play regularly and arrive in Barcelona in 2026 fully sharpened. But that is only one of several scenarios on the table.

Other options remain alive: a loan to a different club if a better sporting or financial proposal arrives, or even an immediate place in Barcelona’s first-team squad this season. That last path depends entirely on the salary-cap margin and whether the club can actually register him without upsetting their delicate financial balance.

What is clear is that Barcelona’s sporting department likes what it has seen. Livakovic’s World Cup performances, where he stood out for Croatia with big saves and a strong presence in high-pressure moments, helped push him up the list of candidates.

Behind the scenes, agent Andy Bara is a central figure. He knows Barcelona well, has a close relationship with key decision-makers and is working to shape a formula that keeps all sides — player, Fenerbahce and Barça — satisfied.

The deal is not signed. But it is moving.

A Girona stint to forget

Spanish football is not entirely new territory for Livakovic, though his last visit barely left a footprint.

He arrived at Girona on loan from Fenerbahce last summer, a move that was supposed to give him a first taste of La Liga and a platform to show his qualities. It never happened. He did not play a single minute and the loan was cut short in January.

The irony? The man who effectively blocked his path there was Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona’s captain, who stepped in as Girona’s replacement option after that failed experiment.

That chapter will not be the one Livakovic wants people to remember. The next one might.

For now, Barcelona’s goalkeeping puzzle is being assembled piece by piece: Garcia as the future No. 1, Szczesny as the bridge, and Livakovic lined up as the next in line. The talks are advanced, the structure of the deal is clear, and yet one question still hangs in the air:

Will Livakovic arrive as a Barcelona player who is immediately visible — or as one they sign, stash away for a year, and unveil only when the goal finally changes hands?