Deco plans to accelerate the departure of Barcelona outcast who had zero minutes in Asia | OneFootball

Barcelona’s pre-season tour of Asia has concluded, but one notable absence on the pitch has raised eyebrows.

Inaki Pena, despite travelling with the squad, did not play a single minute in any of the three matches, making him the only fit player in the squad to do so. This is particularly surprising given the current goalkeeper situation at the club.

As things stand, Pena is the only shot-stopper officially registered with Barcelona in La Liga.

With Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined due to a back injury and Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny yet to receive registration clearance, Pena is technically the only goalkeeper eligible to play in the league opener against Mallorca on August 16.

Flick unmoved as Pena’s exit nears

Despite the current crisis between the posts, Hansi Flick seems firm in his decision not to rely on Pena going forward.

The 26-year-old remains on the transfer list, and his complete lack of involvement during pre-season suggests that the club’s plan to offload him hasn’t changed.

Inaki Pena will certainly leave Barcelona this summer. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Now, according to AS, it has been learned that Deco is facing a race against time to resolve the situation, and he certainly plans to accelerate the situation.

Fortunately for the sporting director, Pena is cooperative and reportedly keen to leave in search of regular first-team football.

His willingness to move on should help facilitate negotiations, whether on loan or through a permanent transfer.

But there is a problem

However, Barça face another pressing issue that if Pena leaves before the registrations of Garcia and Szczesny are completed, they will have no senior goalkeeper available for the Mallorca match.

In such a scenario, the club would be forced to turn to reserve team option David Kochen as an emergency starter.

The coming days will be crucial, not just for Pena’s future, but for Barcelona’s readiness to start the season.

The club must act swiftly to avoid a situation where they begin their La Liga campaign without a single senior goalkeeper.