According to reports, Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign German international goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the summer.
The Spanish giants have been scouting new number one’s for some time, having been informed by Victor Valdes that he would not be renewing his contract at the end of the season. The 32-year-old has been at the Catalonian club since 1995, and has played a key role in much of their success since debuting in 2002.
A number of potential replacements have been linked with taking the gloves off Valdes, including Liverpool’s Pepe Reina. Currently on loan at Napoli, the 31-year-old made 30 La Liga outings for Barca between 2000 and 2002, but it is understood that he is in line to remain in Italy. David De Gea, meanwhile, was also believed to be a target, but Manchester United have made him one of few players unlikely to be available.
The other name hotly linked with a move to the Camp Nou is ter Stegen, and according to Goal, a deal has now been agreed for the transfer of the German international. It is believed the Blaugrana will pay Borussia Monchengladbach almost £10million for the 21-year-old, who is set to sign a deal which is designed to keep him to the club until 2019.
As part of the deal, Barca will also play two friendly matches at the Bundesliga side, who had initially hoped to persuade their goalkeeper to sign a new contract. However, once it became apparent that the youngster wasn’t going to commit to his local club, it was inevitable that he would be sold during the coming transfer window.
The future of Valdes, meanwhile, remains uncertain. The Spanish international, who can count six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League crowns amongst his Barcelona trophy haul, has been linked with a move to England since the turn of the year, with both Liverpool and Manchester City said to be interested in his signature.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has raised question marks over whether Valdes will actually leave the Camp Nou in the summer. Speaking on La Sexta’s Salvados programme, he said: “It remains to be seen if Victor Valdes will leave Barcelona. He might not, he hasn’t left yet. He said he would, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
