Barcelona 22-year-old academy starlet likely to depart as a free agent in the summer – report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona allowed several young talents from the club to leave on loan during the summer transfer window in order to aid their development with regular minutes.

One such player who was shipped out on loan was goalkeeper Ander Astralaga, as he joined lower league club Granada.

However, things have not gone according to plan for the 22-year-old as he has had to battle with Luca Zidane for minutes.

Astralaga’s time at Barcelona coming to an end

Astralaga will return to Barcelona at the end of his loan spell at Granada, and according to SPORT, the goalkeeper is expected to leave soon after in the summer.

Astralaga’s contract with Barcelona runs until 30 June 2026, meaning his link with the club will end at the conclusion of the season unless the two optional years included in his deal are activated.

After two seasons alternating between the reserve team and first-team call-ups, without making his debut, and this loan spell at Granada, it appears increasingly likely that his time at Barcelona will come to an end, with the club unlikely to activate the two-year extension.

Astralaga, so far, has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Granada, keeping two clean sheets.

With Luca Zidane suffering an injury, the La Masia product will get a run of matches in the final phase of the season to prove himself.

A strong end to the campaign would help him boost his chances of securing a good move in the summer, with his contract unlikely to be extended at Barça.

A goalkeeping mess to solve

The Blaugrana, as it is, have a lot of goalkeepers in the squad. Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny are the first choice and backup, respectively, with Diego Kochen currently serving as the third goalkeeper.

However, Aron Yaakobishvili will be returning after his loan stint at FC Andorra to compete for a spot, while Inaki Pena will also be back after spending the current campaign at Elche.

In addition, the future of club captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, currently injured after signing for Girona on loan in January, also remains unresolved.

So, Barcelona have some major decisions to make with regard to their backup goalkeeping options. What appears clear is that Astralaga will not be a part of those plans.