Barcelona’s Dominik Livakovic deal faces uncertain path to registration

Barcelona may be unable to use one of their most notable summer signings this season because of the club’s financial fair play restrictions.

The Catalan club announced the arrival of Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic in a move that came as something of a surprise, given that Barcelona’s sporting department had not initially planned to strengthen the goalkeeping position.

Sporting director Deco’s original intention was to secure a long-term successor to Wojciech Szczesny, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the 2027-28 season. However, that plan changed when Barcelona began to consider the possibility that they might need another goalkeeper immediately.

Szczesny is 36 and there are doubts about whether he can maintain the fitness required for matches at the highest level. Barcelona therefore moved for Livakovic, the experienced 31-year-old goalkeeper who represented Croatia at the most recent World Cup.

The club’s immediate problem is that, despite officially announcing the signing, Livakovic has not yet been registered with Barcelona’s squad, according to Marca.

Barcelona’s current Spanish league registration list contains only three goalkeepers: Joan Garcia, Szczesny and Eder Aller. Livakovic is not included.

The club plans to wait until the final stage of the registration process before attempting to add the Croatia international to its squad. Barcelona believe they will be able to obtain the necessary approval under the financial fair play rules, although they do not have complete certainty that the registration will be accepted.

The outcome will depend on Barcelona’s next moves and whether sufficient room can be created in their wage bill. Although the proposed deal for Gabriel Jesus would not be particularly expensive, it would still have an impact on the club’s budget and could affect the space available for Livakovic.

If Barcelona ultimately fail to register him, they will return to their original plan. Livakovic would then be sent out on loan before joining Barcelona at the beginning of the 2027-28 season.

Despite the uncertainty, Barcelona remain optimistic and confident that they can complete Livakovic’s registration in time for him to be available this year.

The goalkeeper’s signing was initially viewed as preparation for the future, with the club looking beyond Szczesny’s expected departure after the 2027-28 campaign. The changing circumstances surrounding the position have instead made Livakovic a potential first-team option much sooner than originally anticipated.

Barcelona must now balance that sporting need with the restrictions imposed by their financial fair play obligations. Until the club can create the required room in its wage bill, Livakovic will remain officially announced but unavailable for selection in the Spanish league.

The situation has created an unwanted complication around a deal that was intended to provide Barcelona with greater security in goal. For now, the club’s expectation is that a solution can be found, but the registration remains unresolved.