Marc-André ter Stegen is now one of the longest-serving players in the FC Barcelona squad. Nevertheless, after a few wobbles, the national goalkeeper is reportedly threatened with the signing of a new competitor. Are the rumors about FC Bayern’s interest in Ter Stegen flaring up again?
The pecking order in the FC Barcelona goal is clear: Marc-André ter Stegen is number one, Inaki Pena is his substitute, who only comes into play when coach Xavi wants to give his regular goalkeeper a break.
Ter Stegen has enjoyed a reputation as reliable support at Barca for nine years now. The 31-year-old now has 385 appearances under his belt for the reigning Spanish champions. Ter Stegen kept zero 161 times – a strong rate. Barca only extended his contract until 2028 in August.
Recently, however, ter Stegen’s performances have not been so brilliant. In the 2-2 draw at RCD Mallorca, he made a fatal bad pass when conceding the first goal and looked unfortunate when conceding the second goal. Xavi then spoke of his team’s “inadmissible mistakes”, but without mentioning Ter Stegen’s name.
Doubts about FC Barcelona, interest from FC Bayern?
Nevertheless, the first doubts about the goalkeeper are said to have been sown within the club. As the portal “fichajes.net” reports, these even go so far that Barca is considering signing a new competitor for Ter Stegen. This, according to the alleged thought games, could challenge the German and help him find his way back to his top form.
At FC Bayern, developments surrounding Ter Stegen will be closely followed. The former Gladbacher has been traded to the German record champions again and again in recent years.
The goalkeeper plans in Munich are currently unclear: the contracts of Manuel Neuer and backup Sven Ulreich expire next summer. The 37-year-old captain has been unable to gather arguments for an extension in recent months because of his broken leg. It is still unclear when he will return to the pitch.
If, contrary to expectations, ter Stegen is soon on the market, FC Bayern could make an attempt.