It was less than a year ago that Barcelona handed goalkeeper Inaki Pena a new three-year contract to keep him at the club.
The 24-year-old’s previous deal was up at the end of the last season and in May, the Catalans secured his future until 2026 by convincing him to sign an extension.
However, if a report from Mundo Deportivo is to be believed, there are already clouds of uncertainty looming on the future of the La Masia graduate.
Barcelona unsure about Pena’s continuity
Indeed, as per the report, Barcelona are now internally debating the continuity of Pena at the club after the end of the ongoing season.
The 24-year-old shot-stopper got an extended run in the team earlier this season following the back injury sustained by Marc-Andre ter Stegen that required him to undergo surgery.
After making a promising start, Pena’s form declined, although he was not helped a great deal by a porous defence in front of him.
As such, there is a debate brewing about whether Barcelona continue with him as Ter Stegen’s backup or look for a more experienced option.
On the flipside, there is also a concern that Pena himself might ask to leave in search of minutes after getting a taste of regular minutes during Ter Stegen’s absence.
Potential replacements identified
Barcelona understand that this might be a good chance to sell Pena, considering he still has two years on his contract and clubs have seen him churn out good displays in big games against the likes of FC Porto and Atletico Madrid.
At the same time, they also have identified a couple of options as potential replacements for the academy product, in the form of Luis Maximiano and David de Gea.
So, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Catalans decide to proceed on the matter come summer.
