Barcelona have settled the future of one of their brightest goalkeeping prospects. The club have officially announced the loan of young Hungarian keeper Aron Yakobishvili to Almeria, with an option to buy, in a move designed above all to hand the player genuine minutes on the pitch.
Yakobishvili had started pre-season with Hansi Flick's first team, but the youngster preferred a temporary exit in search of regular football, wary that his development would stall on the substitutes' bench.
He arrived at Almeria a few days ago and was already spotted in the stands, watching his new side thrash Eldense 3-0. A clear sign of how quickly he has settled into his surroundings.
Almeria looks the ideal destination. Yakobishvili will work under Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta, the former Barcelona academy coach renowned for trusting young talent and handing them their chances, the perfect environment for the Hungarian to prove himself.
Confirmation of the departure left Barcelona planning to rotate the young pair Eder Aller and Iker Rodriguez as third goalkeeper behind Joan Garcia and Szczesny. Then came a twist. The last few hours have brought an offer for veteran Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovic to bolster the position, with a final call still to be made between leaning on experience or continuing to bet on youth.
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