Barcelona were plunged into concern when Marc-Andre ter Stegen went down with a knee injury against Villarreal last month, which could be season-ending for the German. The Catalan side clearly harboured some of that concern themselves, bringing in Wojciech Szczesny on a free to compete with Inaki Pena. The latter has been convincing since though.
Making major saves against Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe last week to keep Barcelona from going behind, Pena’s status has changed in recent weeks. Manager Hansi Flick has stuck by him despite the arrival of Szczesny, and MD say he values the personality that Pena is showing. His teammates are also delighted to see him doing well.
His current deal is up in 2026, meaning next summer he will enter into the final year of his deal. Sporting Director Deco is yet to make contact with his agents, but it is believed both sides are willing to discuss a contract renewal, and talks are expected in the coming months. As things stand, Pena has no intention of leaving, and currently has a €400m release clause.
At the very least it makes sense to extend Pena’s contract by at least one or two years from Barcelona’s perspective, preventing them from potentially having to consider selling him on the cheap. It still seems unlikely that he is trusted as ter Stegen’s long-term replacement at this point, but after disappointing last season, he won’t get a better chance to prove himself.
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