Joan Laporta's signing gains momentum after Iñaki Peña's imminent departure

The Alicante-born goalkeeper from Barça, Iñaki Peña, had a difficult season last year, going from being a starter to being relegated to the bench. With Ter Stegen's serious injury in Villarreal, Hansi Flick gave the Barça youth academy product a chance. At the same time, the club began searching the market for a goalkeeper who could bring competitiveness and security to the culé goal.

Surprisingly, Polish goalkeeper Szczesny ended up joining, even though just a few months earlier he had officially announced his retirement from professional soccer. Barça's call, given the urgency of the situation, made him reconsider his decision and he ended up accepting the blaugrana offer. Iñaki Peña remained the starter, although the first criticisms of certain performances began to surface.

Szczesny did a mini preseason to get in shape and, after some not very fortunate performances from the Alicante-born player, Flick eventually gave him a chance. Szczesny also had some highly criticized performances, but the team ended up winning and the Polish goalkeeper finished with more than 20 clean sheets. Iñaki Peña ended up being relegated to the bench and didn't play a single minute for the rest of the season.

Iñaki Peña's departure from Barça

The youth academy product has a contract in force until June 2026. Flick doesn't trust him and the club has been looking for a way out for him for some time. A move that hasn't materialized yet despite the offers received for the Alicante-born player, the latest coming from his hometown, Alicante. Elche is the latest club to join the race to secure the goalkeeper's services, but they're not the only one.

Meanwhile, Deco is trying to move on the players Flick doesn't count on; besides Iñaki Peña, there are also the cases of Héctor Fort and Oriol Romeu. The former could leave for England on loan, while Romeu could leave on a free transfer. The registrations of Gerard Martín, Szczesny, and Roony depend on the aforementioned departures.

Iñaki Peña's future will be decided in the coming days

Eder Sarabia, current coach of Elche, is trying to entice Iñaki Peña to end up wearing the Alicante club's jersey. Peña's case is very particular and he could leave Barça on loan after renewing his contract. Barça knows the goalkeeper has a market and could increase his value, and they're not willing to let him leave as a free agent.

Although for Iñaki Peña, going on loan to Elche would mean returning home, it's not the best option for Barça considering Elche can't cover his salary. The goalkeeper will have the final say, and if he doesn't leave, it would be a heavy blow for the club because they wouldn't be able to register Szczesny. Flick wants Joan García as the starter, Szczesny backing him up on the bench, and Kochen as the third option; everything will depend on Iñaki Peña's departure.