Barcelona’s German ace on Manchester City radar

Since Joan Laporta was re-elected as the president of Barcelona, he has done a good job of cleaning out some of the deadwood from the squad. There were a lot of exits during the summer as the Catalans sought to get some semblance of control on their wage bill.

And, the squad overhaul is expected to continue once Xavi Hernandez is appointed the manager of the Blaugrana in the near future. Recent reports have claimed that the club hierarchy is unhappy with the performances of some of the senior players and more clean-up could be on the cards.

According to El Nacional, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could also end up on the chopping blocks. The German international has been with the Catalan giants since 2014, having arrived from Borussia Monchengladbach and has grown into one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.

However, since his knee injury, the 29-year-old has shown minor signs of decline in his performances between the sticks. And, it is now claimed that the Blaugrana could make a decision to cash in on him to get his €9million-a-year wages off the book.

And, Manchester City are now believed to be interested in securing the services of the ex-Gladbach star. The report states that Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of ter Stegen and tried to sign him in the past in a €40million deal back in 2016. Barca were unwilling to negotiate at the time but that could change now.

Given their financial situation, if the club are forced into a corner to cut some players, ter Stegen could be allowed to leave the club. Apart from Manchester City, there is also interest in his services from German champions Bayern Munich, who are on the lookout for a new long-term replacement for captain Manuel Neuer.

Ter Stegen has made 290 appearances for Barcelona to date, keeping 117 clean sheets. His contract with the club runs till the summer of 2025.