Iñaki Peña, the 27-year-old goalkeeper from Alicante, is set to return to Barcelona after his loan at Elche, but he is clearly not in coach Hansi Flick’s plans.
Although Peña has a contract with the club until June 2029, he has decided to resolve his future quickly — planning to leave Spain and continue his career in Central Europe, with Turkey and Greece as possible destinations. He previously made a positive impression during a loan spell at Galatasaray in January 2022.
Barcelona’s management is willing to facilitate his departure, even considering releasing him with a clause to retain a percentage of a future transfer. Peña aims to finalize his move within the next week or two and will definitely not start preseason with the first team.
With Peña’s likely exit and the loan of Kochen to Danish Lyngby already settled, the club’s sporting department only has to resolve the uncertain future of Marc ter Stegen, who, like Peña, is not in Flick’s plans. Flick relies on Joan Garcia as first-choice goalkeeper and Wojciech Szczesny as his deputy.
Peña’s choice reflects his desire for regular playing time and development outside Spain, while Barcelona shows readiness to support the goalkeeper in finding the best option.
