Barcelona are keen to let captain Marc-André ter Stegen leave this summer, with Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia poised to be their first summer signing. The Blaugrana have decided to change the guard this summer, despite ter Stegen’s clear desire to stay.
The German goalkeeper has publicly reiterated several times that he has no intention of leaving the club this summer, with three years left on his contract.
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Two teams are closely following the ter Stegen situation
Although ter Stegen has shown no interest in leaving, Barcelona are ready for crucial talks with him soon. He will also be desperate not to miss out on being Germany’s first goalkeeper at the World Cup next year, and will certainly have game time – something that may not happen at Barcelona, or at least not be planned.
According to TeamTalk, Manchester United are monitoring his situation closely and have gathered information about him. They were initially linked with Garcia, but have now decided to move on from another former Barcelona goalkeeper, André Onana (was part of Barcelona’s academy before 2010 to 2015). The same was true for Chelsea before they secured Mike Maignan. Turkish Fotomac reports that ter Stegen is on their shortlist, while they are looking for a replacement for Fernando Muslera.
Ter Stegen needs to change his stance for a transition to happen
For a transfer to be possible, ter Stegen will probably have to reconsider his position. The experienced goalkeeper may choose to compete with Garcia, but with three years left on his contract and a high-wage deal, a transfer will likely only be feasible if he is willing to take a pay cut. The 2026 World Cup and his belief in being able to win the place seems to be the deciding factors in the decision.
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