At the time of writing Barcelona are yet to confirm the signing of goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, from city rivals, Espanyol on a six-year contract, but an announcement is expected at any moment.
Upon arrival at Barcelona's El Prat airport, the keeper couldn't escape the attentions of eagle-eyed reporters. "I’m already home,” he said with a smile. “Happy to be back from holiday, I had a great time. Now I’m here, at home.” Perhaps understandably he was giving nothing else away.
LaLiga have already confirmed that the custodian's €25m release clause has been paid, and soon enough the brilliant 24-year-old - courted last year by Arsenal - will become a keeper to rival Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inaki Pena and Wojciech Szczesny.
Barca's interest isn't a surprise of course.
Most saves in LaLiga in 2024/25
Garcia's 146 saves in the Spanish top-flight during the 2024/25 campaign were the most of any keeper in the league, and of those he managed to record a hugely impressive 73.7 save percentage.
19 accurate keeper sweepings from 20 attempted gave him a 95% reading in that regard, whilst his distribution stats for those short passes played out from the back - something which Barca rely on almost exclusively during games - was also in the elite level bracket (92.3%).
1,256 possessional passes give a nod to just how busy Garcia was in a defensive sense for Los Periquitos, and in what was a disappointing season for them more generally the keeper at least leaves with his head held high.
Barcelona are likely to see the best years of Garcia's career between the posts and, injuries permitting, he'll likely be around for at least another decade or so. For essentially €2.5m per season in transfer fee terms if he remained with the club until 2035/36, Barca would be bagging themselves an absolute bargain.
Joan Garcia passes in LaLiga 2024/25Opta by Stats Perform
A goalkeeper who can also rely on great reflexes and a commanding presence in his area, he has everything the modern day keeper needs to be a success at the highest level.
Garcia's arrival could soon be problematic, however.
Ter Stegen now staying at Barcelona?
Reports surfaced that ter Stegen had agreed personal terms with Galatasaray, but major Spanish outlets suggest that, in fact, ter Stegen is apparently so incensed by the way in which he's been treated - having only just returned from a long-term injury - that he will now insist on staying (or having his entire contract paid up in order to leave).
In so doing, Barcelona won't be able to rid themselves of ter Stegen's €6.3m per year salary (Garcia's will reportedly be just €3m per year by comparison), and the impact that will have for the club in terms of their transfer targets and ability to afford them is obvious.
Should that situation arise, it echoes what has happened previously with Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman has always been a key component of the Barca squad but his extortionate salary of €19m per year - agreed by the previous administration - is a major factor in why the club had tried to offload him more than once in the past few transfer windows.
That the first-team squad have risen like a phoenix from the flames recently and came within a whisker of an unprecedented third treble of league, cup and Champions League is astonishing when placed in context of what the club are up against financially.
What next for Wojciech Szczesny?
Joan Laporta, Deco and Hansi Flick have more immediate business on the table should ter Stegen follow through on his threat to stay and fight for his place though. That's because it will also have a knock-on impact on Wojciech Szczesny.
The Polish stopper did a reasonable enough job in ter Stegen's absence last season, coming out of retirement to answer Barca's call in their hour of need.
Whilst there were one or two high profile errors made - who can forget the rush of blood in the Benfica game for example - Szczesny had a perfect 100% record for keeper sweepings and another perfect showing for saves made from shots outside the box.
In total, 38 saves made in 22 games played - none of which were lost - clearly isn't a patch on Garcia, though one does have to factor in how well Barcelona were at attacking in comparison to an Espanyol side that were fighting relegation for long periods and relied heavily on their custodian.
An 87.5% pass completion is by no means poor either, but is still well behind Garcia's output.
No space for Inaki Pena at Barcelona
And what of Inaki Pena, the 26-year-old that has been at the club for an age and who had been an able deputy for ter Stegen during a previous injury?
All of the signs point to him leaving the club this summer rather than staying for one more season - essentially to sit on the bench - before leaving when his contract runs out in summer 2026.
Another who can feel aggrieved at the way in which he was cast aside, Pena made 18 appearances last season with a poor save percentage of just 66%.
Inaki Pena trains with FC Barcelona at the Joan Gamper Sports City before the LaLiga match against Real BetisNurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
His 100% record for keeping sweepings mirrors that of Szczesny, but he too doesn't command his area in quite the same way as Garcia.
Pena's loyalty to the club isn't in question but there's no sentiment in football and never has been. Aside from the odd few games - most notably away at Real Madrid during a 4-0 victory - Pena hasn't really excelled and ultimately that's cost him.
Perhaps this changing of the guard in goal was inevitable. However, for a club that's always prided themselves on being 'Mes que un club' and doing things a little differently, their way of conducting business has again left a lot to be desired.