Change of plans as Barcelona youngster now set to travel for Asia pre-season tour | OneFootball

It’s been a whirlwind start to FC Barcelona’s pre-season, especially in the goalkeeping department.

Joan Garcia has arrived as the new starter, Wojciech Szczesny has signed a renewal, Inaki Pena remains with the first team despite being expected to leave, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen has not trained on the pitch due to back issues that may require surgery.

If the club captain goes under the knife, he will be sidelined until January, staying in Barcelona for recovery.

Diego Kochen set to travel to Asia

Now, according to SPORT, Diego Kochen appears set to travel to Asia for Barcelona’s pre-season tour as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Garcia and Szczesny.

Though he is yet to be seen at Ciutat Esportiva, the report claims that Barça are fast-tracking his paperwork so he can join the team for the upcoming Asian tour.

With Ter Stegen set to miss out through injury, the current plan is for Pena to remain in Barcelona to sort out his next move, while Kochen joins Garcia and Szczesny on the trip to Japan and South Korea.

Kochen set to join Szczesny and Garcia on the Asia tour. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Originally, the young American was expected to begin the preseason under Juliano Belletti with the reserve team.

Kochen had doubts about staying in the Segunda RFEF, especially after limited playing time last season while often serving as third-choice for the first team.

The logistics of combining that role with long away trips in the Primera RFEF also made the situation less appealing.

Though nothing is final yet, Barcelona are preparing Kochen to step in. The Catalans see him as a long-term asset and want him to gain experience by training with the first team while playing regularly with Barça Atletic.

Kochen has been training hard during the summer back in Florida, staying match-fit. The youngster will now join the first-team setup and most likely fly to Asia.