FC Barcelona is still fully planning its squad for next season. Having solved, barring any surprises, the arrivals section, now all efforts are focused on departures. Hansi Flick has long decided who he counts on and who he doesn't, so the discards are more than clear. There is still time ahead, but less and less, and everything needs to be activated as quickly as possible.
Celta returns to the charge
During the first days of the market, it seemed that both Celta and Barça were destined to do business together. However, nothing has been finalized so far. The main target for the Galicians was in the Barça goal, with Iñaki Peña attracting interest in Vigo to close a low-cost transfer.
In the end, Celta ended up deciding on the Romanian Radu, having set aside the Iñaki Peña option. However, so far this preseason, his performance has caused many doubts, while they don't see Villar as a reliable replacement. This upcoming campaign, they will play in Europe and believe that a top-level goalkeeper is necessary to be competitive.
A condition for Iñaki Peña
Despite having gone on the tour of Asia, Iñaki Peña hasn't played a single minute. He simply doesn't count for Hansi Flick, who has given the green light to his departure. He is 26 years old and doesn't want to be relegated to ostracism, so he hopes to leave as soon as possible.
Madrid-Barcelona has learned that, to carry out this operation, the condition set by Celta is that Peña arrives for free. In other words, they ask the Alicante native to negotiate the termination of his contract with FC Barcelona.
The contractual bond ends in 2026, so Barça would be willing to agree to this type of deal. What is clear is that Iñaki Peña will have to forgo the remainder of his salary, lightening the wage bill.
In any case, not everything will be so simple. In a deal of this kind, what Barça would want is to reserve a percentage of a future sale of Iñaki Peña. Before being able to carry it out, Celta has to get rid of some competitors between the posts. It won't be easy, but it seems the most viable option as of today...