Livaković is Barcelona's new No.1

The signing

Barcelona confirmed the deal on 27 August 2026, a day after reports first surfaced that the move was imminent, according to ESPN FC. Livaković arrives from Fenerbahçe, where he had been playing in the Turkish Süper Lig, and steps into one of the most scrutinised goalkeeping positions in European football.

What Livaković brings

The Croatia international made his name on the biggest stage. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Livaković was the reason Croatia kept progressing: he saved three penalties against Japan in the round of 16, then stopped another against Brazil in the quarter-finals. That tournament alone put him on the radar of clubs well above Fenerbahçe's level, and it has taken until now for one of them to act on it.

He is composed under pressure and has a penalty-stopping record that tends to make managers feel considerably better about knockout football. At 31, he is not a project signing. Barcelona are buying a proven first-choice keeper.

Goalkeeping at Camp Nou

Hansi Flick's Barcelona have been building with purpose, and a goalkeeper of Livaković's profile fits a squad that expects to compete deep into the Champions League. The specifics of how the goalkeeping hierarchy reshapes around him are still to be confirmed, but this is a first-choice signing, not cover.

For a club that has made Lamine Yamal and a high defensive line central to their identity, having a goalkeeper who can organise, sweep, and handle the pressure of a shootout is not a luxury. According to ESPN FC, the move was agreed and confirmed within 24 hours of the initial report, which suggests both parties had been working on this for some time before it became public.