FC Barcelona will finalize the departure of Iñaki Peña, one of their major pending issues in this summer market of 2025/26. The Alicante native will end up at Elche CF under Eder Sarabia, where he will compete for the starting position with the experienced goalkeeper Matías Dituro.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the negotiation will be closed, as had been anticipated in recent days, through a loan to the Elche team. Both Elche and the Blaugrana are already checking the necessary documentation for the agreement to be effectively finalized in the coming days.

Prior Renewal and Loan: Barcelona's Strategy with Iñaki Peña

The same source asserts that, before closing this move, the Culés will renew Iñaki Peña for the next three years. This maneuver offers advantages on several fronts for Barcelona, both for fair play issues to redistribute the goalkeeper's salary and facilitate his departure, and to maintain greater control over his sports management, considering that his contract ended on June 30, 2026.

  • 📌 NUMBERS OF IÑAKI PEÑA WITH FC BARCELONA: 45 matches played (3,898'), 64 goals conceded and 11 clean sheets. Six titles: two Leagues (2022/23 and 2024/25), two Copa del Rey (2020/21 and 2024/25) and two Spanish Super Cups (2023 and 2025).

Likewise, with this move, the Culé team would close one of the most prominent soap operas of their summer market 2025/26. It was clear that the goalkeeper was not in Hansi Flick's planning, who, after the arrival of Joan García, has structured his goal with the Sallent native as the starter and Wojciech Szczęsny as the second, still leaving the role of Marc-André ter Stegen undefined. This significantly complicated the situation for the Alicante native.

The Alicante Native Will Join Elche After Several Offers from Other Clubs

Given this, many proposals opened up for Iñaki Peña, from a possible return to Galatasaray, to his incorporation into teams such as Celta de Vigo and Como 1907, which were strongly rumored. However, after the emergence of Elche CF, it will be this club that secures the incorporation of the goalkeeper.

The Elche team offers him a project where, although he does not seem to start as a starter, his chances of earning the position are high. In addition, they guarantee him the option of being able to add playing minutes, something that was difficult to achieve at Barcelona.

At this point, it should also not be overlooked that the departure of Iñaki Peña, thanks to the release of his salary space, will help the Blaugrana team in its arduous task of registering the players it has pending. Specifically, the registration of the renewal agreement of Wojciech Szczęsny stands out, so that he assumes the role of second goalkeeper after two matchdays in which he has not been able to be registered in LaLiga.