Saudi Club Offers FC Barcelona $90 Million For ‘Untouchable’ Player

An unnamed club in Saudi Arabia has offered FC Barcelona €80 million ($88 million) for one of their “untouchable” star players according to Futbol Total.

On Sunday evening, the outlet tweeted a “world exclusive” explaining how the Saudi Pro League team had offered the sum for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Furthermore, the German would be made much richer if the deal went ahead as he is reportedly being offered €25 million ($28 million) a year for three seasons.

The news comes on the same day Relevo reported how former Barca transfer target Ruben Neves’ club Wolverhampton Wanderers and Al-Hilal are in advanced negotiations to close a €55 million ($60 million) deal for Portuguese midfielder.

Had he not decided to head to Inter Miami, Lionel Messi could have also joined Al-Hilal after they tabled a €500 million ($538 million) a year proposal for the Argentine.

In the crazy hours that followed Messi looking certain to head to the MLS, COPE reported that Al-Hilal had improved the package to a mind-blowing €1.5 billion ($1.65 billion).

Four years his former teammate Messi’s junior at 31, Ter Stegen is operating at the height of his powers.

Last season, he was Europe’s best goalkeeper in terms of the least goals conceded and almost broke the all-time clean sheets record while helping the Catalans to their first La Liga crown in four years.

Him fleeing to the Saudi Pro League would be a huge coup for the championship aiming to compete with its counterparts on the Old Continent, after Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema arrived in the country that wishes to host the 2030 World Cup in recent months.

Whether Barca would be interested in selling Ter Stegen is another matter entirely, though.

As explained, the shotstopper has returned to his peak after a slump at the turn of the decade.

With Ter Stegen’s contract set to expire in mid-2025, however, the upcoming summer window is the last that president Joan Laporta will have to cash in big on one of his captains.

The offer, if true, also comes a time when the club needs to balance the books and make players sales in order to return to the 1:1 rule within Financial Fair Play rules.

Amid wishing to make new signings and register new contracts, the Blaugrana might be tempted to hear the Saudis out at least.