Promising goalkeeper Diego Kochen has officially been loaned out. On Friday, it was announced that the 20-year-old would join newly promoted Danish Superliga side Lyngby Boldklub on loan until the end of the season. There is a €1.5 million buy option in the loan, according to Mundo Deportivo's Fernando Polo. Barcelona would get 40% of any future sale.
Kochen, born in the United States, joined Barcelona's academy in 2019 from Fundació Marcet. He quickly became a top prospect, and made his first team debut in a friendly against Club América in December 2023. Shortly after, he made his competitive debut for Barça Atlètic and was called up to the United States national team in September 2024.
For the past two seasons, Kochen has alternated between playing for Barça Atlètic and featuring as an emergency goalkeeper in the Barcelona squad. However, he still has yet to make his competitive debut for the first team, with Barcelona having several talented options in goal. With the prospect of playing time again looking unlikely next season, a loan offers a chance to get top-flight minutes.
Lyngby comfortably won the Danish second tier last year to return to the top flight after just one season. The club achieved this while relying heavily on young players. Among these players was another American, Neil Pierre, who showed real promise while in Denmark. Pierre has since been linked with FC Barcelona.
Pierre has returned to his parent club, the Philadelphia Union, at least for the time being, so Kochen will not get the chance to link-up with his fellow countryman. He will, however, hope for a similarly effective loan spell as the young goalkeeper looks to gain experience and boost his profile further.
“One of the most important things I take with me from FC Barcelona is my mentality and the way I work," said Kochen in a club statement. "I have a great drive in my everyday life, and I look forward to building on that experience here in Lyngby.”
Should Kochen impress, it is more than likely that Lyngby would choose to make the loan permanent. Given Barcelona's long-term options in goal, that is a risk that Barcelona can afford to take. After all, Kochen would not start over García in goal for the first team any time soon, and García only turned 25 in May. Kochen needs minutes to improve, and he needs to play at a higher level than with Barça Atlètic in Spain's fourth division.
This loan gives the American the minutes he desperately needs to develop. The sell-on fee also means that, even if he moves to Denmark permanently, Barcelona would still benefit should Kochen make a big move someday. The sentiment at Lyngby seems to be that he is already on the right path.
Kochen is not the first Barcelona goalkeeper to exit this summer. Iñaki Peña was recently sold to Greek side Panathinaikos, while Emilio Bernad and Ander Astralaga exited on free transfers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google