Chelsea have come up with an offer to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen but face competition from Bayern Munich.
According to Cadena Ser, as relayed by Daily Mail, Chelsea have submitted a bid to Barcelona for the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Blues are in search of a replacement for the underperforming Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the German emerging as the latest target.
Frank Lampard’s side are even hopeful of striking a deal for ter Stegen, although they could face stiff competition from Bayern Munich. The Bavarians have identified the Barcelona star as the ideal replacement for Manuel Neuer, despite signing Alexander Nubel earlier this year.
It seems these two clubs are looking to take advantage of ter Stegen’s contractual situation that has put his future at Barcelona under the microscope. Although the German is determined to continue his career at Camp Nou, there have been disagreements over personal terms, and a new contract is yet to be signed.
Chelsea were reportedly hopeful of engineering a swap deal between Kepa and ter Stegen. But that is out of the window given the Spaniard’s miserable form in the Premier League.
Indeed, the ex-Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper has failed to live up to his hefty price-tag, notably attaining the worst save percentage among regular Premier League goalkeepers this past season. He has made numerous defensive errors and has not been able to instill confidence in between the sticks.
Ter Stegen, on the other hand, has been one of the best performers for Barcelona in recent years. His consistent performances have even sparked debate in Germany, with the goalkeeper making a strong case for being the country’s number one goalkeeper, ahead of Neuer, in the upcoming European Championship as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Chelsea’s ambition of signing ter Stegen, however, seems a bit far-fetched. The Blues clearly haven’t been able to reach the heights in recent years, and it will take some time before Lampard finally manages to complete his transition in this new-look squad.
A far more realistic target for the Blues would be someone like Jan Oblak, who is facing an uncertain future at Atletico Madrid. Even Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana could be a gettable target, as well as Manchester United ace Dean Henderson, although it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils will be keen on offloading their star player to direct rivals.
