Former UCL-winning Barcelona goalkeeper offers himself to the club | OneFootball

The recent victory over Villarreal is one that FC Barcelona desperately wanted to get under their belt. La Blaugrana managed to ensure that all three points came with them despite playing away from home and with a depleted squad. Unfortunately for Barcelona, that was not all that they managed to take home with them.

In this recent win, Barcelona captain and German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen ended up suffering a severe injury that is now set to keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. Due to this unfortunate incident, La Blaugrana will now have to make do without them.

To replace him, their immediate options come in the form of Inaki Pena and other goalkeepers from La Masia. However, while Barcelona is willing to trust Pena for now, there is also the possibility that they end up exploring the market for a more refined replacement.

As per La Liga’s rules, however, there are some conditions. Until the January transfer window opens, Barcelona can immediately only sign a player who is a free agent and whose salary would reach about 80% of Ter Stegen’s salary, the space for which can be reallocated towards a potential new arrival.

Most recently, however, a former Barcelona goalkeeper and Champions League winner with the club says that he would be more than willing to return if the Catalan giants called him. As highlighted by Fabrizio Romano, 41-year-old Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo seems open to the prospect of returning to the Catalan club.

In a recent interview with WinWin, the former Barcelona goalkeeper stated the following: “If Barcelona want me, I will be ready to come out of retirement.”

In Bravo’s case, the salary would likely fit in the margins provided by La Liga and he is also a free agent given that he recently retired. However, many things may have to be taken into account such as his age and if he is truly ready to return to the top level of football.

For now, Inaki Pena is the immediate solution that Barcelona will have to rely on. Until and unless they can find a reliable alternative option, the Spaniard will have to take over and fulfil the duties that would normally be Ter Stegen’s to handle.