FC Barcelona's sporting management keeps shaping the roadmap for next season and one of the most imminent departures will be Iñaki Peña's. The Alicante goalkeeper has completely lost his prominence in the squad after a period as the second-choice keeper and even with some matches in which he stood out as a regular starter. However, as Hansi Flick became more established on the Barça bench, his situation has changed drastically.
After some clashes with the coaching staff and a progressive loss of trust, Iñaki Peña has already been informed that he isn't part of the Catalan club's plans. Despite having proved his reliability between the posts, his lack of continuity and some incidents off the field have ultimately pushed him toward the exit door. It's no wonder: Barça are searching for a new goalkeeper, and Iñaki Peña knows it.
The main candidate to sign him
In this scenario, Celta de Vigo have taken the lead to secure his services. The Galician club, which needs to strengthen the goalkeeping position, values Peña's profile very highly and are willing to present an offer close to €10 million to Barça. Claudio Giráldez has lost trust in Vicente Guaita and has identified the blaugrana goalkeeper as his top target for that position.
Celta's interest isn't the only one, but it is the strongest so far. For Iñaki, the opportunity to be a starter in a competitive team with European ambitions is clearly attractive. In addition, the deal would allow the Catalan club to free up salary space and bring in a significant amount for a player whose contract ends in 2026.
End of an era at Barça
The relationship between Iñaki Peña and the Catalan club would have deteriorated after a disagreement with Hansi Flick. According to the latest reports, a delay to a technical talk and his subsequent complaints about being benched caused the trust between the two to break down. Since then, he was relegated to the bench and saw his prominence gradually fade away.
The sporting management, which previously had the contract renewal advanced, chose to halt the talks. Barça prefer to sell him this summer rather than let him leave for free in a year. They see Celta as an ideal destination to close a departure that benefits all parties involved.