Barcelona are reportedly on the verge of signing 28-year-old North Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski from La Liga high-fliers Rayo Vallecano.
According to a report by North Macedonian outlet Ekipa, Stole Dimitrievski is set to join Barcelona in the ongoing transfer window. The Catalan giants have reached an agreement to secure the services of the 28-year-old goalkeeper, who will come in as an initial replacement for Neto.
Stole Dimitrievski has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Spain since joining Rayo Vallecano from Gimnastic de Tarragona in August 2018. A journeyman for most of his senior-level football club career, the North Macedonian shot-stopper has found stability in the last three years.
The 28-year-old has played a key role in Los Franjirrojos’ ascent this season, with the Madrid-based club surprisingly in contention for a top-four finish in La Liga. Dimitrievski has kept six clean sheets in 18 league appearances this term, with his progress getting noticed by Barcelona and a few other Spanish clubs.
The Catalan giants have been in a precarious situation over the current state of their goalkeeping department due to Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s sharp decline in form. The German international was once regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe but has become alarmingly error-prone in the past year.
As a result, ter Stegen’s future at Barcelona is up in the air, with Bayern Munich keen on signing him. While the first-choice goalkeeper is likely to stay put at Camp Nou for the time being, he will have to step up to retain his spot if Dimitrievski were to arrive from Rayo Vallecano this month.
The 28-year-old is now closing in on joining Barcelona, with the Blaugrana reaching an agreement over a January transfer. The report claims that Dimitrievski will initially compete with ter Stegen for the first-choice goalkeeping berth, although he will essentially arrive as a replacement for Neto.
The Brazilian goalkeeper is unsettled at Barcelona after failing to secure regular game-time and has been linked with several clubs for a January move, including Flamengo. But while Dimitrievski will likely replace Neto to begin with, he will fancy his chances of usurping ter Stegen in due course this year.
