Barça signs a guaranteed substitute for Joan Garcia

Barça has closed the signing of Dominik Livakovic. For weeks, the Blaugrana club had been exploring the goalkeeper market so that Joan Garcia would have a substitute with more short-term guarantees, and the sports 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 variable, an amount agreed with the Turkish Fenerbahçe, the club that held priority since the summer of 2023.

Although the initial idea was to close the operation with Livakovic now, loaning him to another team and keeping Wojciech Szczęsny as the second goalkeeper of the squad this season, it is now being considered to bring forward the signing by one summer and increase competition in the goalkeeper position immediately. The player will arrive this Tuesday in Barcelona to undergo a medical examination, sign his contract, be presented, and be available to Hansi Flick. It will be the fifth signing for Barcelona 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 two World Cups as a starter for the Croatian national team. He made a name for himself at Dinamo Zagreb and in 2023 was transferred to Fenerbahçe, who loaned him to Girona last summer. 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 confidence in the Argentine goalkeeper. The decision of the Madrid coach angered him to the point that in December he refused to play in the Copa del Rey. The situation was resolved in the winter market with the termination of the loan and Livakovic's subsequent return, on loan, to Dinamo Zagreb, where he got the minutes he needed before playing in the World Cup. Girona covered the departure by bringing in Marc-André ter Stegen on loan from Barça, but ended the campaign with Gazzaniga between the posts due to a serious muscle injury to the German goalkeeper, who only managed to play two matches for the Catalan team.