Barcelona look as if they will sign an experienced shot-stopper to replace injured captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, after he was ruled out for most if not all of this season. It has raised question marks over the German’s long-term future at the club.
The 32-year-old has had three surgeries in the last four years now, missing significant time at various points, and there are no guarantees over how he will return, and he will at that point be 33 years of age.
While it looks as if Keylor Navas or Wojciech Szczesny will come in on a short-term basis, MD say that the one name Barcelona like most as a potential long-term replacement for ter Stegen is Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa. The 25-year-old Portugal international is managed by Jorge Mendes, which will no doubt aid matters, but Barcelona see him as possessing the reflexes, aerial ability and security to take over from ter Stegen.
The problem would be his price tag. Costa has three years left on his deal, and Porto tend to be tough negotiators, which would no doubt make the deal more difficult. Certainly Barcelona would not be able to consider such a large outlay in January, and the earlies they could make a move is next summer. Costa was also offered to Barcelona by Mendes in 2022 for a fee of €12m, but any move now would likely cost far more.
Pablo Torre had important offers to leave this summer, but Hansi Flick, while fully confident in his abilities, told him that there is a lot of competition. Despite knowing the challenges, Torre stayed because his dream is to succeed at Barça. @alexpintanel
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 25, 2024
Another name that Barcelona have also looked at is Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili, although he has been snapped up by Liverpool now in a deal that could rise to €35m in total.
It does seem that ter Stegen’s latest injury will accelerate their plans to replace him. Youngster Diego Kochen, 18, has been seen as a potential option in goal long-term, but it would be brave for them to plan for that eventuality without a signing. It is worth noting that ter Stegen’s contract was recently extended, and runs for another four years, at which point he will be 36.
