Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images
Barcelona are set for a busy end to the summer transfer window, and they are about to seal signing number five. Last weekend, an agreement was reached with Fenerbahce to sign Dominik Livakovic, and with the Croatia international already in Catalonia, an announcement of his arrival has been due at any minute.
Livakovic, who is being signed as the club’s long-term backup to Joan Garcia, will sign for a total fee of €4m (€2m fixed plus €2m variables). It had been hoped that a deal would be made official on Wednesday, but MD have reported that it was not possible due to documentation being submitted late by Fenerbahce, who had the matter on hold because they were in Champions League action against Lyon.
This has now been settled, which is why the report has confirmed that Livakovic will be officially announced as a Barcelona player on Thursday. He passed his medical 24 hours ago, and once he pens his four-year contract alongside president Joan Laporta, the club will confirm him as their fifth summer signing after Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri and Joao Cancelo.
Unclear whether Livakovic will stay or leave on loan
As mentioned, the plan with Livakovic has been for him to replace Wojciech Szczesny when he leaves/retires next summer. Thus, the intention is for a loan to be organised for the 2026-27 season, although circumstances mean that the situation is still up in the air.
If a new striker is ultimately not signed by Barcelona, the likelihood is that Livakovic would immediately come in as number 2, with Szczesny dropping down to third in the goalkeeping pecking order. However, an exit could still happen in this scenario as long as an offer arrives that suits the club – an agreement had previously been in place with Dinamo Zagreb, but after they asked for a two-year loan instead of one, a deal was scrapped.