Barcelona open to selling 29-year-old ace amid Chelsea, Manchester United interest
Barcelona are reportedly weighing up the possibility of offloading Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is
a target for Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Chelsea and Manchester United have
joined the race to sign Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The 29-year-old German ace could be on his
way out of Barcelona in the summer transfer window, with the Catalan giants open to selling
him.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen joined Barcelona from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of
2014 and was an instant hit for the Blaugrana. While he exclusively featured in the UEFA
Champions League and Copa del Rey, he would soon go on to become the undisputed first-choice
at Camp Nou, a status he retains to this day.
To date, the 29-year-old ace has made 288 appearances for Barcelona, conceding 285
goals while keeping 117 clean sheets in the process. However, there has been a feeling
of uneasiness around ter Stegen for some time now, with his performance levels dipping in
recent times. However, that has not deterred some of his suitors, with Chelsea and Manchester
United among those interested.
The interest from Chelsea is surprising, considering Edouard Mendy is going from strength to strength.
And even though Kepa Arrizabalaga has been linked with a potential move to Juventus, there is
still no need to sign a goalkeeper like ter Stegen, who will arrive with the hopes of
becoming the first-choice custodian, of which there is no need at Chelsea.
The same can be said about Manchester United, where David de Gea has made some massive improvements
in his game. So, even though Dean Henderson has been linked with a potential exit as
per recent reports, the Red Devils do not really appear to be in need of bringing in
someone like ter Stegen in his place.
Apart from Chelsea and Manchester United, Tottenham are also showing an interest in
ter Stegen while Bayern Munich have already been heavily linked with him. And, it looks
like Barcelona are ready to cash in on the 29-year-old, as they look to continue bringing
their wage bill down.
The Blaugrana, on their part, are also eyeing potential replacement options for ter Stegen,
with Andre Onana among those linked with them lately. What now remains to be seen is
if Chelsea and Manchester United do make a move for ter Stegen or if he ends up staying
put at Barcelona.