Galatasaray prepared to make summer move for out of favour Barcelona star | OneFootball

Barcelona are expected to have a busy summer now that they are back within La Liga’s 1:1 rule, but in order to sign players, they need to raise funds first. There are several candidates in the first team that could be sold during the transfer window, and one that has gained traction in recent weeks is Inaki Pena.

Pena, who is a La Masia graduate, was elevated to Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper earlier this season when Marc-Andre Ter Stegen suffered a season-ending knee injury. He impressed during his spell as number one, but at the start of 2025, he was demoted to the bench in favour of Wojciech Szczesny – and he has stayed there ever since.

Pena was far from happy at being ousted by head coach Hansi Flick, especially considering that Szczesny struggled in his first few matches. However, he has impressed in recent weeks, and because of this, there is little chance of the Spaniard getting back in the line-up between now and the end of the season.

Recent reports have also suggested that Pena is not counted on by Flick beyond this season, especially as the club’s idea is to extend Szczesny’s stay by at least another 12 months. As such, he is a strong candidate to be sold, especially as he is out of contract in 2026.

Photo by FC Barcelona

If Pena is shown the exit door, he could be welcomed by Galatasaray, whom he was previously on loan at during the second half of the 2021-22 season. According to Diario AS, The Turkish giants are willing to sign the 26-year-old as a replacement for Fernando Muslera, who is set to return to Uruguayan in the summer.

Pena left a positive impression during his previous spell at Galatasaray, and that makes him a strong candidate to be their next number one goalkeeper. Barcelona would also not make a sale difficult, so there is plenty of chances of this to happen during the transfer window.