Barcelona moved quickly to bring in Wojciech Szczesny this October after first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury against Villarreal. It also triggered more long-term moves at Can Barca though.
The Blaugrana are now starting to look at the long-term future of the position, and have looked at Porto’s Diego Costa, as well as the likes of Mio Backhaus at Werder Bremen, and Joan Garcia at Espanyol. Another name that came onto the radar later is Lille’s Lucas Chevalier.
The 23-year-old is part of the France squad, and while at Clairefontaine hinted that he would be open to a move.
“We are in a very big nation, all the players play in very big European clubs. Lille is a very big European club, but there are steps above. It is true that when you play in very big clubs, you put on bigger shows. And you they look more, there is a bigger demand on you.”
Toni Fernández is seen as the closest fit to fill Lamine Yamal's role at Barça, offering similar creativity and flair. The 16-year-old has already impressed Hansi Flick, though a current ankle injury has delayed his return until December. Once back, Toni could be the ideal… pic.twitter.com/QIkokTKysw
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 12, 2024
“It is true that the number 1 position depends on a very good club. You have to have that lucidity and work too,” he told Sport.
Chevalier has a contract until 2027, and so Barcelona would likely have to spend big in order to bring in the Frenchman, who is currently backing up Mike Maignan for Les Bleus. Ter Stegen will turn 33 next year, and this season Barcelona should have a decent idea of whether they believe Inaki Pena can succeed the German.
