Barcelona has reportedly made a surprising approach for Wojciech Szczesny, with the former Juventus goalkeeper willing to come out of retirement to fill in for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Ter Stegen may miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured patella in his knee.
Barcelona is actively looking for a temporary solution for the vital goalkeeper position and has compiled a list of candidates to bolster the squad.
According to Tomasz Wlodarczyk, Barcelona has targeted Szczesny, the 34-year-old Polish goalkeeper who retired earlier this summer.
The shot-stopper, who last played for Juventus, has accepted the offer and is prepared to return to action to assist the Blaugrana.
However, he is not the only option, as Barcelona is also considering former Costa Rican international Keylor Navas, among others.
According to Sport, a significant obstacle could complicate the move. When Szczesny retired from Juventus, both parties allegedly agreed to a ‘secret’ clause that requires Juventus to receive a financial payment if Szczesny signs with another top-level club before June 20, 2025.
This clause was put in place because Szczesny had one year remaining on his contract when he chose to retire. It remains to be seen whether Szczesny will pay the penalty himself or if Barcelona will cover the costs.
Even if Szczesny joins the Catalan club, it may take some time for him to regain peak match fitness after months away from professional play.
In the meantime, Barcelona will rely on Inaki Pena as goalkeeper, with their next match against Getafe coming up on Wednesday.
