Barcelona manager Hansi Flick explained on Wedensday night that with only Ander Astralaga (20) and Diego Kochen (18) behind Inaki Pena, it would be necessary for them to recruit a more experienced goalkeeper to at least compete with the latter. It looks as if Wojciech Szczesny is expected to be the one who comes in.
According to MD, Szczesny will undergo a medical with Barcelona on Thursday, having agreed to return to the game a month after retiring. Talks are currently ongoing between Juventus and Barcelona to settle an agreement on his salary. Szczesny, no longer part of Juventus’ plans, rescinded his contract with La Vecchia Signora in August, agreeing to a €2.5m redundancy package, and a further €2m payment if he did not find a team this season. He was earning €6.5m per season in Turin.
Barcelona's board will meet today to finalize the 2023-24 financial results and set the 2024-25 budget. Key topics include expected profits, the upcoming General Assembly, talks with Nike, and plans for the club's 125th anniversary. @sergisoleMD
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 26, 2024
The Blaugrana are in talks to negotiate that €2m payment down, but even if they do cover the full amount, Szczesny looks set to take a pay cut from last season. If Sport’s information is correct that the Polish goalkeeper will earn around €3m per season plus bonuses, then that would take his salary to around €5m, if you include the €2m payment for this season. That said, his earnings for this season could reach around €7.5m, if he manages to secure the €2m payment, a salary of €3m and his €2.5m exit package.