Barcelona Signs Dominik Livakovic to Shape Future After Szczesny
Dominik Livakovic is due in Barcelona today, but this is no ordinary presentation flight. The Croatian international is touching down as the central piece of a long-term goalkeeping puzzle the club is trying to solve before it becomes urgent.
According to SPORT, Livakovic is expected to arrive this afternoon, heading straight into the machinery of a big-club transfer: private terminal at around 5:30 p.m. local time, then medical tests scheduled for tomorrow at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. Once those checks are done, Barcelona can close the final formalities of his move.
On paper, it looks straightforward. In reality, his signing opens up the biggest question around the position.
Where will Livakovic actually be playing in the 2026/27 season?
A signing made with Szczesny’s end date in mind
This is not a panic move or a reaction to a sudden crisis in goal. Barcelona’s sporting department, led by Deco, has decided to act before Wojciech Szczesny’s contract situation turns into a countdown.
They want the position locked down before the clock starts ticking.
The logic is simple: instead of waiting for the market to dictate terms when Szczesny’s deal runs out, Barcelona prefer to have their chosen successor already in the system. That’s why they place such weight on this operation. Livakovic is not being brought in just to fill out the depth chart.
He is viewed as a goalkeeper who can anchor the future, which makes every decision about his immediate path all the more delicate.
For now, the roadmap is split in two.
Two competing plans for Livakovic’s next step
Once Livakovic officially becomes a Barcelona player, the club must decide what happens next: stay or go on loan.
One scenario on the table is a loan move. Barcelona could send him out to a club where he would start regularly, allowing him to stack minutes and arrive at the end of Szczesny’s contract with rhythm, confidence, and match sharpness. From a development standpoint, it is the cleanest line: play now, return later as a ready-made No. 1 option.
But there is a second path.
Barcelona are also seriously weighing the idea of keeping him under Hansi Flick’s command from day one. That would mean daily work with the first-team staff, learning the demands of the system, the build-up patterns, the positioning, the dressing-room dynamics – all from inside the club rather than at a distance.
It is a different kind of growth: less about volume of minutes, more about tactical and cultural integration.
Right now, no final call has been made. Livakovic will land, pass his medical, sign, pose for the photos – and then the real decision begins.
For Barcelona, the days immediately after his arrival could define not just his role, but the shape of their goal for years to come.
