FC Barcelona have officially added Croatian international Dominik Livakovic to their goalkeeping ranks, the club announced on Thursday, closing out a deal that had been simmering in the Catalan press for much of the summer.
The 31-year-old arrives from Turkish side Fenerbahce, with reporting from Spanish outlets putting the total value of the transfer at up to four million euros, a modest outlay for a goalkeeper of Livakovic’s pedigree, reflecting both his age and the fact that Barcelona view him as a squad option rather than an immediate starter.
Barcelona sporting sources have described the fee as being paid to Fenerbahce for the Croatian shot-stopper. In a statement confirming the move, the club said the goalkeeper had put pen to paper on a deal running through the end of June 2030.
It caps an unusual season for Livakovic, who spent the previous campaign on loan at Girona from Fenerbahce without making a single competitive appearance for the Catalan club, a frustrating spell for a player who, just a few years earlier, had been one of the most talked-about goalkeepers on the planet.
That reputation was forged at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Livakovic became a national hero by saving penalties against both Japan and Brazil in successive knockout shootouts, propelling Croatia to a surprise run to the semi-finals.
He remained a fixture for his country through this year’s World Cup as well, further cementing his status as one of Europe’s most experienced international goalkeepers.
At Camp Nou or wherever Barcelona are currently playing home fixtures amid their stadium redevelopment, Livakovic’s arrival slots him into a goalkeeping pecking order now three deep.
He joins the squad in a deal reported to be worth around two million euros plus a possible 500,000 in variables, with a medical and formal signing following his arrival in Barcelona.
Joan Garcia remains first-choice between the posts, while veteran Pole Wojciech Szczesny continues as back-up, at least in the short term.
Reporting since the initial agreement suggests the situation is more nuanced than a simple three-way competition, however: several outlets have indicated Barcelona’s real plan is for Livakovic to go out on a further loan for the 2026-27 campaign with Dinamo Zagreb among the clubs interested, before returning to Catalonia in the summer of 2027 to formally take over the number-two role once Szczesny’s contract expires.
That would make Thursday’s announcement less about an immediate reshuffle and more about Barcelona locking in a proven, experienced deputy for the post-Szczesny era.
For sporting director Deco, the Livakovic deal represents a relatively low-cost piece of business ticked off the list, even as the club’s attention in the closing days of the transfer window remains fixed on strengthening the attack.
But for a goalkeeper who once stopped Neymar’s Brazil in its tracks, it’s a fresh chapter even if, for now, it starts on the periphery of Hansi Flick’s plans.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Barcelona has signed Croatian shot-stopper Dominik Livakovic from Fenerbahce on a deal through 2030, for a fee around €4 million. This isn’t an immediate first-team move.
Despite the World Cup pedigree that made Livakovic a household name in 2022, he’s joining as long-term insurance, likely heading out on another loan before officially becoming Barcelona’s back-up goalkeeper in 2027, once Wojciech Szczesny’s contract expires.
In short, it’s a smart, low-cost piece of succession planning rather than a splash signing.
