Barcelona put deal for 26-year-old on hold due to financial woes

Barcelona have been busy this summer, and although two signings have been made in Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford, the critical business is securing exits for players that are no longer counted on. One of them is Inaki Pena, although his expected departure has been put on hold for the time being.

The arrival of Joan Garcia, coupled with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s insistence to remain at the club, means that Pena has no future at Barcelona. And with his contract due to expire in 2026, the idea is for him to be sold this summer, thus allowing the Catalans to cash in – which is much-needed given their financial woes.

Barcelona want to sell Pena, but for now, they are unable to – which is why he has been included in Hansi Flick’s squad for the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. As per MD, the 26-year-old is the only fit goalkeeper that the Catalans have registered with La Liga, given that Ter Stegen is about to undergo surgery.

Pena won’t leave until Barcelona register Garcia and Szczesny

Barcelona have not yet been able to register new signing Garcia or Wojciech Szczesny, whose registration ended when his contract expired on the 30th of June – he subsequently penned a new deal a few weeks later. And if it stays that way until the first match of the new season, they would be unable to pay, meaning that Pena would need to start.

However, Barcelona are confident of having at least one of Garcia or Szczesny registered in time for the MD1 fixture against Mallorca, which is in three weeks’ time. And once they are signed up with La Liga, the green light will be given for Pena to leave, which should happen with little problems given that he also wants to depart this summer in order to become a starting goalkeeper elsewhere.