A surprise at Barcelona regarding the Livakovic deal

What happened?

Croatia's Dominik Livakovic touched down in Barcelona on Tuesday, ready to complete his move to the Catalan club from Fenerbahce. Both parties have reached a final agreement, and only the paperwork now stands between the deal and its official announcement.

Spanish newspaper "Marca" report that Barcelona will pay two million euros for the Croatian goalkeeper, with a further two million euros in add-ons tied to clauses in the deal. Livakovic will sign a four-season contract, subject to passing a medical on arrival in Barcelona.

Completing the deal is only half the story. Livakovic's future within the squad has sparked debate in recent hours. The initial plan was to loan him out for a season, with Dinamo Zagreb touted as a likely destination, before he returned to Barcelona in 2027-2028 once Szczesny's contract expired on 30 June 2027.

Under that plan, Livakovic and Joan Garcia would have formed Barcelona's goalkeeping pair that season. The latest developments have forced a rethink. The club now lean towards keeping the Croatian among the first-team ranks this season.

According to the plan on the table, Livakovic will be third choice behind Joan Garcia and Szczesny in Hansi Flick's squad. That hands the coaching staff an extra option should either of the two main goalkeepers pick up an injury, rather than leaning on a single backup.

Deco and Flick are expected to thrash out Livakovic's situation over the coming hours. The subject came up during Tuesday's meeting attended by Joan Laporta, where a possible loan was also weighed against financial fair play rules.

Nothing has been settled officially yet. Even so, the strongest feeling inside Barcelona is that Livakovic stays with the first team and skips the loan. It leaves the Croatian goalkeeper facing a completely different start to the one mapped out when the deal was struck.