Revealed: Barcelona’s two best hopes of offloading Marc-Andre ter Stegen | OneFootball

Barcelona will be back in training at the end of this week, as preseason begins for the Liga champions. Part of the returning group will be goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the captain, and the latest high earner to be circled in red as a potential departure.

The German veteran is thought to be rather frustrated with the club, after they activated Joan Garcia’s €25m release clause, a move that is aimed at usurping him sooner or later. While Barcelona leaked that they will not force ter Stegen out, they are certainly keen to see that happen.

Ter Stegen-Flick showdown talks

As reported over the weekend, manager Hansi Flick and ter Stegen will speak about his future on their return to training, with the 33-year-old making it clear in public that he has no intention of leaving the club this summer. Sources have explained to Football España that Flick will then relay the details of this conversation to Director of Football Deco. Barcelona’s hope is that the need for regular football to maintain his spot as Germany’s number one will prove a sufficient lure away from the club.

Image via Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Two Premier League sides monitoring ter Stegen situation

Those same sources have indicated that two Premier League sides are closely monitoring ter Stegen’s situation, namely Manchester United and Chelsea. The former are pursuing an upgrade on Andre Onana at the request of manager Ruben Amorim, and ter Stegen is one of their options. Should ter Stegen become available for free, as has been suggested in Catalonia, Chelsea are also tracking the situation. The Blues made an approach for AC Milan veteran Mike Maignan earlier this summer.

A number of other sides are also keeping abreast of ter Stegen’s situation, but none seem probable destinations at the time of writing. Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal are among them, but it seems unlikely ter Stegen would be convinced by a move to the Middle East.