Barcelona star considering summer exit after “tense” conversation with Hansi Flick | OneFootball

Barcelona are hoping to have a productive summer transfer window, although they will need to make sales in order to raise funds for new signings. The likes of Frenkie de Jong, Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati have been mentioned as possible departees, and another name looks like it could be added to that list.

Last September, Barcelona were rocked by the news that first-choice goalkeeper and club captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen had suffered a serious knee injury in a match against Villarreal. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season, and because of this, the decision was taken to sign an immediate replacement, which turned out to be former Arsenal and Juventus star Wojciech Szczesny.

Despite Szczesny’s arrival, Ter Stegen’s backup Inaki Pena took over as number one in the months after the German’s injury. He impressed, but in the last few weeks, he has lost his place to Szczesny, despite the fact that he had been solid in the Barcelona goal without making any significant errors.

Wojciech Szczesny has taken over from Inaki Pena as Barcelona’s number one goalkeeper (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto / Getty Images)

This decision has frustrated Pena, who sought out head coach Hansi Flick earlier this week to discuss the situation. However, the pair had a “tense” conversation according to Sport, and as such, the Spanish ‘keeper is now said to be considering his future at Barcelona.

Pena’s possible departure would ordinarily mean that a replacement is needed to act as backup to Ter Stegen, given that Szczesny is only contracted until the end of the season. However, recent reports have suggested that the Pole could be handed a one-year extension by Barcelona.

It’s reported that Flick does not consider Pena to be self-critical, while he has also been left unimpressed with his punctuality throughout the season. These points could lead to the Barcelona goalkeeper moving on in the summer, and if that happens, there would likely be a good number of suitors vying to sign him.