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Before the summer transfer window closes next week, Barcelona will finalise the signing of at least one new player. Last week, the club agreed a deal to sign Dominik Livakovic, who has been identified as the long-term replacement for Wojciech Szczesny as the direct backup to starting goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
Livakovic has already arrived in Catalonia, and in the coming days, his signing will be made official. However, the expectation has been that he leaves immediately, with the intention being to loan him out before returning next summer when Szczesny leaves/retires.
There is now a chance that Livakovic does not leave at all, with Sport reporting that Barcelona are open to making Livakovic the understudy to Garcia with immediate effect. In this scenario, Szczesny would be third-choice goalkeeper, although this all depends on whether a new striker is signed before next week’s deadline.
Barcelona would not have the salary space to register both Livakovic and a new striker, which is why the Croatia international’s future cannot be defined right now. However, there is a chance that he is loaned out anyway, although that would only happen in the event that the club receives an offer that works well for them.
Livakovic return to Dinamo Zagreb is complicated
Over the last week, the expectation had been that Livakovic would join Barcelona before immediately being loaned to former club Dinamo Zagreb. However, this is no longer likely to happen, with Index.hr (via Sport) reporting that the Croatians’ desire to take him for two years having been rejected in Can Barca, given that they would want him back in 2027 to replace Szczesny.
It will be interesting to see whether Livakovic does end up sticking around at Barcelona for the 2026-27 season. The club would ideally prefer him to go, as it would mean that a new number nine – preferably Julian Alvarez – is brought in.