Barcelona goalkeeper has loan interest from Spain and England teams – report

Barcelona’s goalkeeping position has been under a microscope this season, and understandably so. Despite still being the number one choice to start in between the sticks, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been under pressure for a few months now.

The German’s dip in form has come as a big concern to several members of the club. While Neto is a direct replacement for the shot-stopper, several calls were made for the La Masia graduate Inaki Pena to be given a chance.

However, according to reports from Roger Torello of MD, Pena is very likely to leave the club on loan in January. It has not been decided if the deal will include a purchase clause or not.

The details of the agreement will depend on how the negotiations proceed between the two parties. As of now, there is interest in the young goalkeeper from clubs both in Spain and England.

The 22-year-old has not been promoted to the first-team, but has made several appearances in the squad list since last season. This came as a direct result of La Liga clubs being given the permission to include three goalkeepers due to COVID-19 precautions.

Pena has not started a single official game for the Blaugranas, though, despite making the bench often. His drought for minutes has prompted the club to look for solutions, and a loan seems the most feasible.

Pena joined La Masia in 2012 but only played for the B team from 2018. On the youth side, he participated in 56 games, including two near-promotion spells for the team.

A move within Spain seems more likely for the talented youngster. Needless to say, the Catalans would prefer a deal without a purchase option.