Barcelona Targets Dominik Livakovic as Future Goalkeeper
FC Barcelona’s goal for the next few years is clear: lock down the goalkeeper position and do it on their terms, not in a hurry. With Joan Garcia already earmarked as the long-term starter, the club is now moving to secure the man who could stand behind him – and eventually take over from Wojciech Szczesny when his deal runs out in June 2027.
That man is Dominik Livakovic.
€3 million agreement in place
In Croatia, the story is already being told as done. IndexHR, echoed by SPORT, report that Barcelona and Fenerbahce have reached an agreement for the Croatian international. The figures are modest for a goalkeeper of his pedigree: around €3 million plus a package of performance-related variables.
The blueprint is straightforward. Barça would sign Livakovic now, then immediately send him on loan to Dinamo Zagreb for a season. Once that spell ends, he would return to the Camp Nou to become the second-choice goalkeeper, sliding in behind Garcia and effectively replacing Szczesny in the internal hierarchy.
On paper, it’s a clean succession plan. In reality, there are still moving pieces.
Future mapped out – but not fixed
From Barcelona’s side, the message is more cautious. SPORT’s own information underlines that talks with Fenerbahce are advanced, but not sealed. The framework of the deal is there; the fine print is not.
The initial idea remains a loan to Dinamo Zagreb, a return to familiar ground where Livakovic can play regularly and arrive in Barcelona sharp and confident. But that is only one route on the table.
Other scenarios are being studied. One is a loan to a different club, depending on offers and guarantees of game time. Another, more ambitious option, would see Livakovic join Barcelona’s first team immediately – but that depends entirely on the club’s ability to fit his registration under La Liga’s salary cap.
Until those financial calculations are complete, nothing is definitive. The operation is well advanced, not finished.
World Cup form and a key agent
What is not in doubt is Barcelona’s sporting conviction. Livakovic’s performances at the World Cup left a strong impression on the club’s technical staff, reinforcing the idea that he has the mentality and quality to handle the pressure that comes with the Barcelona goal.
Behind the scenes, agent Andy Bara is driving much of the operation. Bara, who maintains a close relationship with the Catalan club, is working to find a structure that satisfies all parties: Fenerbahce, Barcelona, Dinamo Zagreb if they come into the equation, and of course the player himself. His role is central to turning advanced talks into a signed contract.
A Spanish chapter to erase
Livakovic already has a brief, frustrating brush with Spanish football on his CV. Last summer he joined Girona on loan from Fenerbahce, a move that looked like a clever step into La Liga. It never got off the ground.
He did not play a single minute for the Catalan side and cut the loan short in January, returning to Fenerbahce with a chapter he will not remember fondly. The irony is hard to miss: the man who eventually took over the gloves there was Marc-Andre ter Stegen, now Barcelona’s captain and one of the reference points in the dressing room.
That Girona spell is a warning and a motivation rolled into one. Livakovic knows what a stalled move in Spain feels like. Barcelona are working to make sure this one looks very different.
For now, the outlines of the deal are drawn, the numbers are on the table, and the plan is clear. Only one question remains: will Livakovic arrive as a Barça player who immediately walks into the dressing room, or as a signing parked for a year in Zagreb, waiting for his real audition to begin?
