Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement with Fenerbahçe to sign Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković as part of an early strategy to shape the club’s long-term goalkeeping future.
The plan does not involve the 31-year-old joining Hansi Flick’s squad immediately; instead, he will spend the current season out on loan before officially starting his Barcelona career in June 2027.
Barcelona will pay Fenerbahçe a fixed fee of €2 million, alongside a potential €2 million in add-ons, bringing the total value of the package to €4 million.
The Catalan club aims to sign Livaković as a backup goalkeeper to Joan García starting from the 2027–2028 season, coinciding with the expiration of Wojciech Szczęsny’s contract.
Szczęsny plans to retire once again in the summer of next year, having previously reversed his initial retirement to join Barcelona in 2024 before extending his contract until June 30, 2027.
At the same time, Marc-André ter Stegen will return to Barcelona following the conclusion of his loan spell at Ajax, which runs until the end of the current season with no purchase option included for the Dutch club.
However, the signing of Livaković—coupled with the continued reliance on Joan García as the primary goalkeeper—effectively closes the door on Ter Stegen’s return to the Barcelona lineup.
Barcelona’s management will need to find a solution for the German goalkeeper, whether through a permanent sale, another loan, or a mutual contract termination, particularly since he remains under contract with the club until the summer of 2028—one full season beyond his return from Ajax.
Livaković began his career with NK Zagreb before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2016, where he established himself as one of the club’s most prominent figures, making 293 official appearances, keeping 138 clean sheets, and winning 12 trophies.
The Croatian international joined Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2023 for €6.65 million plus €950,000 in add-ons, before later returning to Dinamo Zagreb on loan.
Livaković achieved global recognition with the Croatia national team at the 2022 World Cup, where he saved three penalties in the Round of 16 penalty shootout against Japan and delivered a stellar performance against Brazil in the quarterfinals, helping guide his country to a third-place finish.
