Dominik Livakovic arrives in Barcelona to become Barça's backup keeper

Dominik Livakovic stepped off the plane, set foot on Catalan soil and headed straight for the clinic. No press conference, no photos with the jersey just yet: medical paperwork first. The Croatian goalkeeper arrived in Barcelona today to undergo the physical that typically precedes the official announcement of a signing, though the Catalan club has yet to confirm anything in writing.

What does seem clear is the role he's been earmarked for: backup goalkeeper for Hansi Flick's squad, ahead of Wojciech Szczesny. The Pole still has a year left on his contract, but his immediate future is up in the air. In fact, there's debate inside the club over whether Livakovic should go straight onto the roster as understudy to Joan Garcia, pushing Szczesny down to third choice, something that, according to reports, wouldn't sit too badly with the Pole himself.

The deal is no last-minute surprise. A few weeks ago, Barça sources had already told ESPN that Livakovic's name was "one option among several" being considered to bolster the goalkeeping ranks. As the days went by, that option became the chosen one. The fee being discussed to close the transfer sits somewhere between 4 and 5 million euros, a modest sum given the experience and pedigree Livakovic brings.

And experience is something he certainly has. The Croatian keeper arrived in Spanish soccer last season via Girona, though things didn't go as he had hoped: with limited playing time and a World Cup on the horizon, he asked to leave the Catalan club so he could arrive at the tournament match sharp with his national team, where he ended up as an undisputed starter. Before that, Livakovic had already built an international reputation as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Eastern Europe, guarding the net for Turkey's Fenerbahce and remaining a fixture for Croatia's senior national team.

Szczesny's farewell foretold

Inside Barça's front office, Deco already appears to have a clear read on the situation: Szczesny has run his course and probably no longer offers the guarantees needed in an emergency, like the one the club faced last season when Joan Garcia suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for several weeks.

The move also fits into a broader overhaul of Barça's goalkeeping depth this summer transfer window. The club has been placing several of its goalkeeping prospects at other European clubs: American Diego Kochen departed for Denmark's Lyngby Boldklub, while Hungarian Aron Yaakobishvili is set to join Almeria in Spain's Segunda Division.