Barcelona Sign Dominik Livakovic: Future No. 1 Goalkeeper
Dominik Livakovic is due in Barcelona today, the next step in a goalkeeping plan the club have set in motion well before any crisis hits.
The Croatian international is expected to touch down at the private flight terminal around 5:30 p.m. local time, with Barcelona prepared to start the formalities that will make him their latest signing. His medical is booked for tomorrow at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, and once those tests are cleared, the final paperwork of his move can be wrapped up.
This is not a routine depth signing. It is a pre-emptive strike.
A signing that raises as many questions as it answers
Livakovic’s arrival solves one concern but instantly creates another: where will he actually play in the 2026/27 season?
Barcelona have accelerated this move with one eye firmly on Wojciech Szczesny’s contract, which is running down. The club do not want to be scrambling for a starting goalkeeper when that deal expires, so Deco and his sporting department have chosen to act now, not when the clock is already ticking.
They see Livakovic as a goalkeeper for the present and the future, a player who can grow into a central role. Yet his immediate status is still completely open.
The message from within the club is clear: this is a strategic operation. They value it highly, and they do not intend for Livakovic to simply make up the numbers.
Two paths on the table
Once the medical is done and the signing is official, the real debate begins.
Barcelona are weighing up two distinct plans for Livakovic’s first steps in their colours.
One option is a loan. The club could send him out this season to guarantee regular minutes, then bring him back when Szczesny’s contract ends. From a development standpoint, that route is attractive. Week-in, week-out football would keep him sharp and allow him to return with rhythm and confidence, ready to compete for the No. 1 spot rather than adjust from the bench.
But the alternative has its own pull.
Barcelona are also seriously considering keeping Livakovic under Hansi Flick’s command from day one. Training daily with the first team, learning the demands of the system, and building chemistry with the back line could accelerate his adaptation in ways a loan cannot. The coaching staff would be able to shape him directly, instead of monitoring him from a distance.
For now, the club have not committed either way.
Livakovic will land, complete his medical, pose for the photos, and sign. What comes next — a season on loan or a year learning under Flick and shadowing Szczesny — will define not only his trajectory, but potentially Barcelona’s goal for years to come.
