La Liga rivals eyeing summer move for Barcelona goalkeeper

Barcelona have a couple of promising young goalkeepers at their disposal in Iñaki Peña and Arnau Tenas. While the latter remains at the club as the third-choice custodian, the former was sent out on loan in January and the decision is paying off.

Iñaki Peña signed for Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan until the end of the ongoing campaign during the January transfer window.

Signed as cover for the injured Fernando Muslera, the 23-year-old has made a solid impression, playing eight matches in which he has let in 11 goals and kept one clean sheet.

Interestingly, the said clean sheet came on Peña’s return to Barcelona as the Catalans and Galatasaray squared off in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16. The Spaniard put in a fine display at Camp Nou to help the visitors secure a goalless draw, but they lost the second leg at home.

Nevertheless, Peña made a big impression on manager Xavi Hernandez, who is considering promoting him to the No. 2 spot behind Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However, at the same time, the La Masia graduate is attracting interest from elsewhere.

Indeed, as reported by Diario AS, Barcelona’s La Liga rivals, Celta Vigo, are considering a summer swoop for Iñaki Peña. The Galician outfit will lose Matias Dituro at the end of the season when his loan deal runs out.

And they are on the lookout for a replacement for the Argentine, with Peña emerging as an option recommended by Celta Vigo’s consultant Luis Campos.

At the same time, Galatasaray are also interested in the 23-year-old and remain open to the possibility of a loan extension or an outright purchase.

Peña has been on Barcelona’s books since 2012 when he joined La Masia from the Villarreal youth academy. The 23-year-old is yet to make his first-team debut for the club. With his contract expiring in 2023, a decision on his future will be taken in June, when he returns from Galatasaray.