Barcelona Races Against Time for Trio's Departure to Register New Signings

The Spanish club Barcelona is working to expedite the departure of some of its players before the summer transfer window closes on September 1, with the aim of registering its new signings, led by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, Gerard Martin, and Swedish winger Rony Bardhi.

According to the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo," Barcelona's management believes that completing the departure of the trio Iñaki Peña, Oriol Romeu, and Héctor Fort has become essential before the deadline for registering new players, given the restrictions imposed by La Liga.

Barcelona is expected to announce within hours the renewal of goalkeeper Iñaki Peña's contract until 2029, before he is loaned to Elche, which secured the competition for his signing due to the desire of its coach, Eider Sarabia. This step will pave the way for registering Szczęsny, who has signed a new contract with Barcelona until 2027.

As for Oriol Romeu, he is preparing to mutually terminate his contract with the club, paving the way for his free departure, which will allow for the registration of Gerard Martin in the first team after he played last season with the reserves.

Héctor Fort's situation remains the most ambiguous so far, despite interest from several clubs in signing him, most notably Aston Villa. No official offers have yet been received to finalize his transfer, which delays the possibility of registering Rony Bardhi, whose official participation depends on Fort's departure.

Barcelona is racing against time to complete these moves before the transfer window closes, to avoid a crisis in registering its new players, as part of its plan to renew the team and strengthen the squad at the lowest possible cost amid financial fair play restrictions.