FC Barcelona Has A Potential Buyer For Ter Stegen

FC Barcelona has a potential buyer for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources.

The Catalans are being heavily linked to Espanyol’s Joan Garcia, who the same newspaper expects them to sign by the start of next week.

One of the 2024/2025 La Liga season’s biggest breakout stars should cost $28.5 million (€25 million) because of his release clause.

That value was determined by helping Espanyol beat relegation, and also not being included on Spain national team manager Luis de la Fuente’s latest squad list.

RAC1 reported that President Joan Laporta told the board Ter Stegen will need to be moved on if Garcia switches allegiances across town, but the German dismissed such talk at a press conference on Sunday.

“No one has told me about this, so I don’t know the situation,” Ter Stegen stated. “I’m not worried. I know that I will be at Barcelona next year.”

“If I remember correctly, and if no news has happened in the last few hours, we only have two goalkeepers for next season, Inaki [Pena] and me,” Ter Stegen added, in turn ignoring Wojciech ‘Tek’ Szczesny, who is expected to renew his contract.

In the meantime, however, potential buyers are starting to line up for skipper Ter Stegen, with Al-Hilal chief among them.

The Saudis are looking for a top level shotstopper, and are “willing to cover Ter Stegen with gold” if he replaces Bono according to SPORT.

Also interesting for Barca is that Al-Hilal would pay a transfer fee for Ter Stegen, whose current terms in Catalonia expire on June 30, 2028.

Yet Ter Stegen might be reluctant to leave European football because such a move could end his hopes of being Germany’s number one ‘keeper at the next World Cup set to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FC Barcelona has an ‘overbooking’ in the goalkeeping department

With Ter Stegen, Szczesny and now possibly Garcia all set to be on the club’s books, FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has at least three goalkeepers to split minutes between. That goes without mentioning Inaki Pena, who will probably have to leave in search of regular playing time, and the budding Diego Kochen.