Deco completes the mission: five deals to solve Barcelona's puzzle

The case of Marc-André ter Stegen was the most complicated of the lot, both financially and physically. Barring any surprises, it will be the next deal to be wrapped up and officially announced.

The German goalkeeper's contract runs until the summer of 2028, but Hansi Flick had no place for him in his plans. So he agreed to join Ajax Amsterdam on loan under Michel, who worked with him last season at Girona.

Tax matters holding up the deal have been resolved in the last few hours, and his arrival in Amsterdam should become a reality at the start of next week. 

Ter Stegen played 45 minutes against Como, but he is unlikely to travel with the Barcelona squad to their training camp in England.

Barcelona wrapped up one of their first deals of the summer with this one. Pena had produced a good level in an Elche shirt during the first half of last season before losing his place to Matias Dituro, and Panathinaikos came calling, signing him for around 3 million euros.

The move brought the curtain down on more than a decade with the Catalan club for the Alicante-born goalkeeper.

He's already made his competitive bow for his new side. Pena played the full 90 minutes in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying round, helping the Greeks to a 2-1 away win over Hungary's Paksi.

Barcelona have not renewed Ander Astralaga's contract following the end of his loan spell at Granada, bringing an end to the goalkeeper's eight-year spell with the club.

Astralaga arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2018 through the youth ranks. He never made an official appearance for the first team, though he did feature in a friendly against Manchester City.

Atletico Madrid's reserve side have announced his signing on a contract running until 2028.

Fresh from a loan spell at Andorra, the young Hungarian goalkeeper started pre-season with the first team. Both player and club, though, reckon another loan is the best way for him to nail down regular minutes.

Jako is 20 and needs to play. He also carries a strong reputation in Spanish football. 

Journalist Matteo Moretto reports that Racing Santander, Levante and Real Mallorca all hold an interest.

Barcelona saw the 20-year-old American goalkeeper as one for the future, yet his loan to Lyngby Boldklub until the summer of 2027 hands the Danish club a buy option worth close to 1.5 million euros.

Neither party spelled this out in their official statements, but Barcelona will keep 40% of the value of any future sale should they give up ownership of the player. That clause lets them cash in if the goalkeeper shines, or smooth the path to bringing him back down the line.

Kochen needs to play. He has to prove that the high expectations that surrounded him during his development can carry into professional football, even if the destination looks "exceptional" compared to the norm.

Joan García is the undisputed first choice, with Szczęsny as his backup on a deal that runs down next summer. That leaves Barcelona's sporting management weighing up two scenarios to finalise the goalkeeping department.

The likeliest option? Íker Rodríguez, born in 2008 and rated as the standout goalkeeper of La Masia, shares third-choice duties with Eder Aller.

Alternatively, Deco could dip into the transfer market for an experienced keeper on the cheap to challenge Szczęsny. Álex Remiro is the name cropping up most often in that scenario.

Either way, Barcelona's goalkeeping picture grows clearer by the day. Most of the question marks have been settled, and the rest should follow soon enough.

That said, the window remains open for more than a month yet. Plenty could still happen before it slams shut.