Barcelona are reportedly considering re-signing former star Jordi Masip from Real Valladolid as they look to bolster their goalkeeping options in the summer.
According to a report from Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are looking to reinforce their goalkeeping department in the summer and have set their sights on Real Valladolid’s 32-year-old shot-stopper Jordi Masip as a potential transfer target.
Masip is a product of the Barcelona youth academy, having spent over ten years on the club’s books. The Spaniard made his first-team debut for the Catalans back in 2014 but always had to play second-fiddle, first to Victor Valdes, and then to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. After 79 appearances for the Blaugrana, the goalkeeper left the club in 2017, signing for Real Valladolid on a free transfer.
In his very first season with Valladolid, Masip helped them to promotion back to La Liga and has since been a mainstay in goal, racking up 142 appearances till date, in which he has 34 clean sheets. A seasoned campaigner with the know-how of the club, Barcelona are now looking to bring him back to Camp Nou ahead of the next season.
This is because while Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains the undisputed first-choice for the Cules, his deputy, Neto is on his way out of the club this summer, after having grown frustrated with a lack of game-time in his two years at the club. The Brazilian has interest coming from the likes of Arsenal as well as West Ham United. This would leave Barcelona without an able understudy for the German international between the sticks.
Academy graduate Inaki Pena is held in high regard within the Catalan club but the officials are hoping to secure a more experienced option as cover for ter Stegen, which had led to recent interest in the services of another former academy man, Andre Onana of AFC Ajax. Now, Masip has also emerged as a viable target, following Valladolid’s relegation from the La Liga.
This is not the first time that Barcelona have considered re-signing Masip. Indeed, the Blaugrana came very close to securing his services in 2019 only to pull the plug on the move and instead sign Neto. Now, though, with the latter set to leave, it remains to be seen if the Catalan giants end up bringing Masip, who is contracted with Valladolid till 2022, back to Camp Nou in the summer.
