Barcelona set to lose 26-year-old with 20 starts for free | OneFootball

Barcelona have been criticised for their ability to bring in money in the transfer market in recent years, with a number of players leaving on the cheap, according to the perception. It looks as if another of their La Masia talents will exit without helping them much with their salary limit woes this summer.

The exit of goalkeeper Inaki Pena has been assumed for some time. In January, Director of Football Deco opened talks with his camp over a new deal, as a reward for his performances following an injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However Hansi Flick’s decision to make Wojciech Szczesny the number onee halted negotiations, and now Pena appears to have decided to leave this summer. With Szczesny and ter Stegen ahead of him in the pecking order, Pena’s opportunities will be limited.

The likes of Real Betis, Celta Vigo and former loan club Galatasaray have all taken an interest in Pena, who is out of contract in 2026. While he was always likely to be available at a cut-price deal, Sport say that Barcelona have given up hope of receiving a transfer fee for Pena, and will allow him to go for free in the summer.

Image via Urbanandsport/NurPhoto / Getty Images

While Pena’s situation is tricky, the direct comparison, as ever is with Real Madrid. Los Blancos were in a similar situation with Andriy Lunin, and managed to persuade him to sign a new five-year deal with the club, despite being aware that he would likely leave this summer for fresh opportunities. Los Blancos are now hoping to receive somewhere above €20m for the Ukrainian, who is the same age as Pena.

Although Lunin’s cachet is clearly higher after a strong run last season in La Liga and the Champions League, Pena himself came up with highly impressive saves against Real Madrid in the previous two Clasicos.