Barcelona close to renewing out-of-favour star’s contract; loan exit to follow | OneFootball

According to SPORT, the future of out-of-favour Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena will be decided, now for real, in a matter of days.

The Blaugrana hope to be able to register Wojciech Szczesny during the coming week and have asked the academy graduate’s entourage for patience, even as the player’s camp fears he could end up without playing if negotiations do not progress.

There had been talk of Barcelona releasing Pena as a free agent even though he has a year left on his contract.

However, as per the report, the club rules out terminating his contract in order to avoid paying him this season’s salary. Instead, negotiations are underway for an extension until 2027 so that he can be loaned for one year with a non-mandatory purchase option.

Patient, professional Pena

The situation of Pena was clear since the end of last season, but Barcelona’s difficulties with the salary cap and the registration issues following the arrival of Joan Garcia and the conflict with Marc-Andre ter Stegen have complicated everything.

Pena knows that he is not going to play, but that he will not leave until Szczesny is registered. In fact, the goalkeeper was called up for the trip to Mallorca as he was registered and still had a chance to play when Joan Garcia suffered a knock during the warm-up.

Pena could renew his contract and leave on loan. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

At Barcelona, they understand the urgency of Pena and appreciate his professionalism in a complicated period. The main problem is that he has not found any team willing to pay his Barcelona salary, not even with a free transfer.

The option of Como in Italy has cooled due to the financial details of the deal, and the club now has it clear that the best solution for all parties is this extension and a loan so that some savings can be generated in the wage bill.

Pena currently has interest on the table from Celta Vigo, who are still searching for a goalkeeper, and Girona could also take a step forward. Como might also return to the race if everything is arranged through a loan.

Barcelona have no doubt that the 26-year-old’s departure would soon be on track, and everything is prepared to sign the extension and loan him immediately. This could even take place next week.

For the time being, Pena will continue under Barcelona’s discipline, and it is not ruled out that he could be called up for the second match. An uncomfortable situation that pleases no one, least of all Hansi Flick, but the club’s hands remain tied.