Livaković once again facing a major decision: Fenerbahçe is looking for a solution, while the Premier League is again mentioned as a possible way out
Dominik Livaković has once again entered a zone of transfer uncertainty after a turbulent club year in which his status shifted from Fenerbahçe’s first-choice goalkeeper, through loan spells, to a renewed search for a long-term solution. According to Turkish media reports, the Istanbul club is not closing the door to the departure of the Croatian international goalkeeper if a concrete offer appears that would satisfy both sporting and financial conditions. Such a development is not a surprise because Livaković’s situation has already been a topic for months in Turkey, Spain, Croatia and England. At the center of the story remains the same question: can a goalkeeper with major international experience find a club where he will play regularly and thereby strengthen his status in the national team. As of July 11, 2026, there is no official confirmation of a final transfer, but the available information clearly shows that his future is no longer being viewed as a closed question.
Fenerbahçe has a contract, but also an open question over the goalkeeping hierarchy
Livaković arrived at Fenerbahçe from Dinamo in the summer of 2023, and Turkish Football Federation data confirms that he is contractually tied to the club until June 30, 2028. That fact gives Fenerbahçe negotiating strength because the club does not have to agree to a quick and financially unfavorable outcome. At the same time, the contract itself does not solve the sporting problem if the player does not have the status of first-choice goalkeeper or if the club assesses that it is better to ease the budget and open space for other solutions. Over the past year, Turkish media have written several times that Fenerbahçe is looking for an exit scenario for Livaković, and in one of the reports Sporx stated that a new team is being sought for the Croatian goalkeeper if a different order among the goalkeepers remains in place at the club. Such information has not been officially confirmed by Fenerbahçe, but it fits into a broader series of moves that followed after Livaković lost stable continuity of appearances.
For a goalkeeper of his age and profile, the difference between formal status and actual role is crucial. Livaković is not a young player for whom it is enough to wait for an opportunity over several seasons, but an international who has already gone through the biggest matches and entered a period of his career in which every season carries direct weight. Fenerbahçe, meanwhile, has its own interests: the club must prepare for domestic competition, European qualifiers and the market logic in which players with high contracts are difficult to keep without a clear role. If Istanbul decides on a sale or a new loan, the most important thing will be whether an offer arrives that suits both the club and the player. According to the available information, it is precisely that triangle of interests that has so far held back the final outcome.
Nottingham Forest remains the most prominent English link
Nottingham Forest, the Premier League club that was directly linked with Livaković back in August 2025, is again being mentioned as one of the possible destinations. The Guardian reported at the time that Fenerbahçe had held talks with Nottingham Forest about selling the Croatian goalkeeper and that the English club was seeking additional competition for Matz Sels. The same article stated that Livaković was open to the challenge of the Premier League, but the deal was not concluded then. That episode is important because it shows that interest from England did not emerge overnight and that Livaković had already been on the radar of clubs looking for an experienced goalkeeper ready for a high level of competition. The market has changed in the meantime, but the profile of player Nottingham Forest needs could reopen talks if the club assesses that it needs additional security between the posts.
The Premier League would represent both a sporting and market step forward for Livaković, but also a demanding risk. English football brings high visibility, an intense rhythm and great pressure, especially for goalkeepers coming from a different tactical and media environment. Nottingham Forest, according to official Premier League data, enters the 2026/27 season as a member of the English elite, which makes the potential story relevant even beyond the classic category of transfer rumors. Still, interest is not the same as an agreement. Any possible deal would have to go through questions of the transfer fee, salary, role in the team and the player’s personal assessment of whether he wants to enter another competition for the number-one spot or immediately seek an environment in which he would have a clearer guarantee of appearances.
Loans to Girona and Dinamo changed the frame of the story
Livaković’s situation became further complicated after loan spells. On January 30, 2026, the Croatian Football Federation announced that the international goalkeeper had returned to Dinamo, after spending the autumn part of the season on loan at Spanish side Girona. The same announcement recalled that Livaković first arrived at Dinamo in 2016 from Zagreb, that he moved to Fenerbahçe in 2023 and that he returned to Maksimir as a reinforcement for the continuation of the season. According to a report by the Turkish newspaper Sözcü, Fenerbahçe reported the loan to Dinamo to the Turkish Football Federation, and the contract did not include a purchase option. That means that after the end of the loan, the basic question once again returned to Fenerbahçe: sale, new loan, termination under agreed terms or a return to competition.
The return to Dinamo had clear sporting logic. Livaković knew the environment there, had the trust of the fans and coaching staff, and had the opportunity to quickly regain the rhythm of playing. In an interview published by the Croatian Football Federation in May 2026, he said that he had returned home, won the double crown, played the whole time and felt excellent. At the same time, he emphasized that there was no new information about the future and that the development of the situation at Fenerbahçe needed to be awaited. That statement is particularly important because it comes from the player himself, not from the circle of rumors. It confirms that Livaković is aware that his next move depends on the decision of the club that holds his rights, but also on an offer that will secure him a stable sporting role.
The national team is the biggest reason why the decision cannot be postponed
For Livaković, a club transfer is not only a question of a contract and the league in which he will continue his career, but also a question of continuity with the national team. In June 2026, the Croatian Football Federation announced that Livaković had reached his third World Cup with Croatia, after returning from the last two major tournaments with historic medals. In the same interview, the goalkeeper described his season as turbulent, especially since the injury at Fenerbahçe, but emphasized that the second half-season with Dinamo had been excellent and that he felt great. Such statements explain why regular playing time is more important to him than the mere attractiveness of the club. In the fight for the position of first-choice goalkeeper of the national team, continuity, form and the coach’s trust often carry more weight than the name of the league.
In recent years, the Croatian national team has built its identity on experience, discipline and a high level of goalkeeping interventions in key matches. In that context, Livaković has acquired the status of a player who has already proven on the big stage his ability to react under pressure. Still, no status is permanent if club minutes begin to decline. Competition in the goalkeeping position naturally grows, younger goalkeepers are looking for space, and coaches increasingly insist that internationals come from a competitive rhythm. That is why the choice of a new club is a strategic decision for Livaković: he must find an environment in which he will play, but also a level that will confirm that he can still be a reliable choice in the most important matches.
Fenerbahçe will not easily let go of a player with market value
Although transfer stories often emphasize the player’s desire, negotiations will largely depend on Fenerbahçe. The Istanbul club can demand a transfer fee because Livaković has a contract until 2028, and that reduces the space for a unilateral departure. Turkish media previously wrote about different models, from loans to offers with purchase options, which shows that the market tested several possible solutions. Sözcü stated regarding the loan to Dinamo that there was no purchase option, so Fenerbahçe did not lose control over the player’s future. In such a situation, the club can wait for a more favorable moment, especially if clubs from leagues with greater financial power appear on the market.
For interested clubs, the key is to assess the ratio of price, experience and expected minutes. Livaković brings an international pedigree, experience in European matches and a known ability to save penalties, but a potential buyer must offer him a clear project. For a club looking for a first-choice goalkeeper, he can be a relatively quick solution with a high level of experience. For a club looking only for competition for the existing number one, the deal is more sensitive because Livaković can hardly accept another season in which his role will be uncertain. That is precisely why negotiations, if they happen, will probably revolve around sporting guarantees as much as around money.
Dinamo as a familiar option and the question of realistic financial frameworks
Dinamo remains a logical emotional and sporting reference in Livaković’s career, but a permanent return is not simple. The Croatian Football Federation recalled that he won six Croatian league titles and two domestic Cups with Dinamo, and in the second half of the 2025/26 season he again received what he had been missing the most: continuity. However, the difference between a loan and a permanent transfer in this case is significant. If Fenerbahçe insists on a transfer fee, Dinamo must assess the financial viability of the deal, especially given Livaković’s contract and the fact that the player is entering his early thirties. Such a transfer could be very useful from a sporting perspective, but only if it fits into the club’s long-term budget.
On the other hand, for Livaković, Dinamo offers stability, a familiar role and an environment in which he would not have to spend time adapting. That is especially valuable for a goalkeeper who wants to maintain the national-team rhythm. Still, a return to the domestic league does not bring the same international visibility as the Premier League, La Liga or other top-five leagues. That is why the decision is more complex than it seems at first glance. Livaković must weigh the security of appearances against the ambition to test himself in a stronger weekly competition, while Fenerbahçe must decide whether it will seek the maximum transfer fee or a quicker outcome that eases the squad and the budget.
Why the transfer must be resolved before the season finds its rhythm
The most unfavorable scenario for all parties would be a continuation of uncertainty deep into the season. Continuity is particularly important for goalkeepers because form does not depend only on physical readiness, but also on automatisms with the defense, communication, sense of space and mental security. If Livaković spends the preparations with the status of a player who could leave, and finds a new environment only near the end of the transfer window, the new club could introduce him gradually. That would again extend the period without a stable role. For Fenerbahçe, it would mean keeping an open question in the dressing room, and for interested clubs the risk of not getting a goalkeeper ready from the first round.
That is why the coming weeks will be decisive. Turkish reports indicate that Fenerbahçe does not rule out a departure, the English link with Nottingham Forest shows that a market for Livaković exists, and his own statements to the Croatian Football Federation confirm that the future had still not been clarified after the end of a successful half-season at Dinamo. At this moment, the most precise thing to say is that Livaković is not without options, but he also does not have an officially confirmed new club. His reputation, contract and national-team status make him an interesting name on the market, but the final outcome will depend on whether three conditions align: Fenerbahçe’s price, the sporting plan of the new club and Livaković’s need to once again be the undisputed number one.
Sources:
- The Guardian – report on talks between Fenerbahçe and Nottingham Forest and the English club’s interest in Dominik Livaković (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – announcement on Livaković’s return to Dinamo and a summary of his club and national-team biography (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – interview with Livaković about form, the national team and uncertainty over the future (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – interview ahead of the 2026 World Cup and reflection on a turbulent club season (link)
- Sporx – report on Turkish claims that Fenerbahçe is looking for a solution for Livaković’s future (link)
- Sözcü – report on the registration of the loan with the Turkish Football Federation and details of the agreement with Dinamo (link)
- Premier League – official data on Nottingham Forest and the squad for the 2026/27 season (link)
- Turkish Football Federation – registration data for Dominik Livaković in Turkey (link)