Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has received interest from both Chelsea and Bayern Munich as he looks to extend his contract at Camp Nou.
Linking Ter Stegen to fresh terms is one of Barcelona’s top priorities this summer. Talks have been going on for months, with the coronavirus shutdown making things more difficult than ever, and an agreement has yet to be reached.
Ter Stegen’s contract runs until 2022 / David Ramos/Getty Images
As noted by Cadena SER, Barcelona and Ter Stegen are both interested in ending the renewal, but given the difficulty in doing so, Chelsea and Bayern have lodged offers with the German’s representatives.
Barcelona have asked players to take a pay cut in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and Ter Stegen is believed to be a bit disappointed. When asked by reporters recently (via Marca ) whether he planned to extend his contract, ter Stegen bluntly replied “we’ll see”.
Barcelona are still said to be ‘more than optimistic’ about doing a deal, but the added pressure of interest from elsewhere will be an unwelcome hurdle to overcome.
Fingers crossed by Ter Stegen ???#UCL | @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/iNRrubbQyY
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 4, 2019
How genuine the interest actually is is another question. For Bayern, they still have club captain Manuel Neuer in their starting line-up, while youngster Alexander Noble is seen as the future of the position, so should really fit in at the Allianz Arena for the third season. There is no place for
Chelsea’s interest seems a little more plausible. The English media have already confirmed that the Blues are potential suitors for Ter Stegen, although the hefty price tag of any potential deal has prevented any real progress.
It’s likely that Chelsea have just thrown out an optimistic offer in the hope of actually getting lucky, but attention is focused on cheap targets such as Ajax’s Andre Ona, Manchester United’s Dan Henderson and Burnley’s Nick Pope.
Jan Oblak is also on Chelsea’s wish-list/Dennis Doyle/Getty Images
Another unlikely target on the radar is Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak, who has previously been touted as the Blues’ preferred replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga. As with Ter Stegen, the issue with him is the cost of the deal – Oblak has a €120m release clause – and Christian Falk notes that Atleti are not worried about losing their star goalkeeper.
Los Rojiblancos don’t believe Chelsea can afford an £80m deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz and a huge move for Oblak, and the Blues are still pressing ahead with their pursuit of the German, it seems. That is very unlikely. Be able to tolerate Slovenian as well.
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