Szczesny Says Yes to Barça to Replace Ter Stegen

The Polish Wojciech Szczesny, 34, is very close to becoming Barcelona's goalkeeper until the end of the season, replacing the German Ter Stegen, who recently underwent surgery on his right knee and will be out until the end of the season. He will compete for the position with Iñaki Peña. With only a few details left to resolve with Juventus, it seems likely that the compatriot and friend of striker Robert Lewandowski will soon be under the orders of Hansi Flick.

After receiving the goalkeeper's approval, who would arrive on a free transfer because he decided to retire a month ago, Barça now needs to resolve some contractual difficulties with the Turin club. Szczesny hung up his gloves after playing 35 games last season with Juventus and defending his country's goal in the European Championship in Germany. However, he signed a clause with the Piedmontese because he decided to end his contract a year early, which was set to expire on June 30, 2025.

Apparently, Szczesny agreed in writing to pay a penalty to Juventus if he decided to come back and play before that date. This is why the club presided over by Joan Laporta still needs to negotiate with the Italian club. In principle, there should not be major impediments considering that Barça has freed up 80% of Ter Stegen's salary due to his long-term injury.

Although other goalkeepers like Sergio Rico or Keylor Navas were considered, both also unemployed, the bet on the veteran Szczesny emerged during a meeting between Flick and Deco, the club's sporting director, on Tuesday. They decided to proceed with signing an experienced and reliable goalkeeper immediately instead of waiting for the winter transfer window to open in December.

Once Szczesny's signing is completed, it remains to be seen what role the Polish goalkeeper will actually play. In the press conference ahead of Wednesday's match against Getafe at Montjuic, Flick publicly expressed his conviction that Iñaki Peña is capable of stepping up. "Iñaki is a professional. He is training very hard. It is not easy being a second goalkeeper. He is ready to play. We have confidence in him," said the coach of the La Liga leaders.

It is certain that Peña will be initially chosen since Szczesny will need some time to get back into rhythm because he hasn't trained since the European Championship or at least not at the level required by top-tier football. Once Szczesny regains competitive form—if he does—it will be time for Flick to choose between his experience between the posts or continuing with 25-year-old Alicante native goalkeeper.