La Masia prodigy has a chance to become Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper next season | OneFootball

Barcelona are heading into the new season with a set of questions surrounding their goalkeeping department.

The club are well sorted with Joan Garcia as the main goalkeeper and Wojciech Szczesny as the backup.

But the third goalkeeper position remains open, especially with Marc-Andre ter Stegen on his way to Ajax on a loan deal.

A new number three goalkeeper?

This has put Iker Rodriguez in a position to potentially become Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper next season, reports SPORT.

Rodriguez could benefit from several departures in the goalkeeping department. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

A product of the La Masia academy, Rodriguez will essentially be benefitting from the many goalkeeper departures at Barcelona this summer.

As mentioned earlier, Ter Stegen is expected to join Ajax on a loan deal while Inaki Pena has been sold to Panathinaikos.

Ander Astralaga and Diego Kochen were the other alternatives last season. But Astralaga has been released while Kochen has joined Danish club Lyngby BK on a loan deal.

As a result, Rodriguez is in an advantageous position to become Barcelona’s new number three goalkeeper, though he faces competition from Aron Yaakobishvili.

Yaakobishvili is coming on the back of an impressive loan spell at FC Andorra. But everything suggests he will leave on yet another loan deal in order to gain experience.

Who is Iker Rodriguez?

Rodriguez could find himself deputising for Szczesny and Garcia next season. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

A native of Sabadell, Rodriguez is currently a part of Barcelona’s U19 squad, having been promoted last summer.

Standing at 1.87m, Rodriguez has a tall stature and has featured for the Spain youth teams as well, meaning his talent is well recognised.

Although the report points out that Yaakobishvili was present in the Barcelona training today, everything points to another loan deal and that is where Rodriguez might just get lucky.

Despite his limited experience, the Spaniard has proven his mettle in youth competitions and will be an exciting alternative for Barcelona next season, should they find themselves dealing with an injury crisis in the goalkeeping department.