Barça signs a guaranteed substitute for Joan Garcia

BarcelonaBarça has closed the signing of Dominik Livakovic. For weeks, the blaugrana club had been exploring the goalkeeping market so that Joan Garcia would have a substitute with more short-term guarantees, and the sporting management has finally opted for the Croatian international, who will sign for the next four seasons. The transfer fee will be 2 million euros fixed plus 2 million euros variable, an amount agreed with the Turkish Fenerbahçe, the club that held the priority since the summer of 2023.

Although the initial idea was to close the operation with Livakovic, loan him to another team and keep Wojciech Szczesny as the second goalkeeper of the squad this season, it is now seriously considered to advance the incorporation by one summer and increase competition in the goalkeeper position with immediate effect. Be that as it may, the footballer will arrive in Barcelona this Tuesday to undergo the medical examination, sign the contract, be presented and make himself available to Hansi Flick. He will be the fifth Blaugrana signing of this transfer window after Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Jesse Bisiwu and Rodri Hernández.

A bad experience at Girona

Livakovic is 31 years old and has played in two World Cups as a starter with the Croatian national team. He made a name for himself at Dinamo Zagreb and in 2023 was transferred to Fenerbahçe, who last summer loaned him to Girona. The Balkan player's experience at Montilivi, however, was disastrous. He was expected to be a starter ahead of Paulo Dino Gazzaniga, but Míchel Sánchez initially maintained his trust in the Argentine goalkeeper. The Madrid-born coach's decision angered him to the point that in December he refused to play in the Copa del Rey.

The uncomfortable situation was resolved in the winter market with the termination of the loan and the subsequent return, as a loaned player, of Livakovic to Dinamo Zagreb, where he got the playing time he wanted before playing in the World Cup. Girona plugged the leak by bringing in Marc-André ter Stegen on loan from Barça, but finished the campaign with Gazzaniga in goal due to a severe muscle injury to the German goalkeeper, who only managed to play two official matches for the Catalan team.

Andy Bara, an old acquaintance

Precisament the arrival in ownership of Livakovic at Barça conditions the role of Ter Stegen from next season. The ex-culer captain will still have one year of contract left, but he will have at least two goalkeepers ahead of him. Therefore, de facto he already knows that he will have to look for a solution if he wants to continue. At the moment he is playing on loan at Míchel's Ajax. He has already played two games in the Eredivisie as a starter – one win and one draw.

Livakovic's arrival at Camp Nou aligns with the forecast of Joan Laporta and Deco regarding the management of the first team's goalkeeping, but also with the fantastic relationship they have with Andy Bara, the agent of the Croatian goalkeeper and also of two of the most important players in the current squad, Dani Olmo and the aforementioned Joan Garcia. Bara played a decisive role in convincing the goalkeeper from Sallent that the best for his career, despite his periquita affiliation, was to join Barça. Previously, he also revalued Mika Faye at the culé entity before selling him a year later to the French Rennes. The Senegalese cost 1.5 million in the summer of 2023 and was sold for 10.3 million in 2024. A round play for everyone except Faye, who last season played (little) on loan at the Italian Cremonese and this season has not yet debuted with the German Nuremberg.