City Plans to Sign Ter Stegen
Manchester City is planning to sign German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper, to replace Brazilian Ederson, who has been linked with a move to the Saudi or Italian leagues, according to the Spanish newspaper El Nacional on Thursday.
According to reports, preliminary talks have taken place. The newspaper stated that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola appreciates Ter Stegen's playing style, experience, ability to build the game, tactical intelligence, and calm in goal, qualities that suit his style.
Spanish newspapers reported last week that Ter Stegen would be Barcelona's third-choice goalkeeper next season.
Sport indicated that German coach Hansi Flick told his compatriot that Spanish Juan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny would be his primary options. Szczesny replaced Ter Stegen after the latter suffered a serious knee injury in September of last year, sidelining him for seven months.
Mundo Deportivo reported that Flick is not counting on the German goalkeeper for the new season.
Reports indicate that Ter Stegen feels very comfortable at Barcelona and wants to see out his contract with the team in 2028, but due to the 2026 World Cup, he cannot risk spending a full season on the bench and losing his starting position as Germany's goalkeeper.
As Barcelona begins preparations for the new season, Ter Stegen is training individually due to back problems. Press reports indicate that Chelsea, Manchester United, Galatasaray, and Monaco are also interested in signing the goalkeeper.