Over at FC Barcelona, it is now time for the squad to return to duty under Hansi Flick’s orders. After a short but refreshing vacation, the players are reporting back for duty ahead of the upcoming preseason tour. However, certain futures and operations at Barcelona remain unsettled.
Ideally, the club would have wanted to sign major transfer targets by now. Unfortunately, it seems that it will likely take until August for Barça to finally resolve the arrival of any major transfer target. Until then, the priority of the club is to offload certain players and assess the current squad.
Inaki Pena to report for preseason duty
In that regard, even if certain players seem to be exit-bound, they will likely report for duty under Flick’s orders for now. One such player who is expected to report for preseason duty, as highlighted by SPORT, is Spanish goalkeeper Inaki Pena.
His transfer case seems pretty obvious already considering the number of goalkeepers at the club already. At the moment, he would likely be the fourth choice goalkeeper for Hansi Flick, behind the likes of Joan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, and possibly even Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Still, as an act of professionalism and dedication, the 26-year-old goalkeeper remains committed to training as per usual at Barcelona. While he does have one more season left on his contract, it seems clear enough for now that an exit is the most likely conclusion that will be reached this summer when it comes to the future of the Spaniard.
Barcelona yet to find a suitable offer for him
Interestingly, however, despite reportedly attracting a lot of offers, neither Barcelona nor the player have found a mutually satisfactory one for all parties involved. Still, the club is working with the player and his representatives to sort out a solution.
Even though Pena has always dreamed of succeeding at Barcelona and almost achieved that goal last season, it is now clear to him that he will not get regular minutes. Still, instead of being difficult to deal with or creating issues, the Barcelona goalkeeper continues to stay true to his commitments and wait for the resolution of his future.
As for Ter Stegen, an exit is not something that the club is enforcing upon him. Reports continue to suggest that there is legitimate interest in him from other suitors, but the player seems to want to stay at the club this summer and fight for a place next season.
