3 weeks ago
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Had things turned out a little differently, Marc-Andre ter Stegen could already be a Manchester City player. Perhaps even a Manchester City great.
When Pep Guardiola agreed to take over at the Etihad in 2016, one of his first tasks was to overhaul his goalkeeping options. He knew he needed an upgrade on Joe Hart when it came to the ability to play out from the back. The jettisoning of the England goalkeeper was Guardiola's first statement of intent.
City ended up signing Claudio Bravo in the summer of 2016, a misstep at the time but one that was corrected a year later with the addition of Ederson, who has been the team's first choice ever since. But as ter-Stegen explained on a Bild podcast in April, he was the one Guardiola wanted.
At the time, Ter-Stegen had shared goalkeeping duties at the Nou Camp with Bravo, having picked up an injury at the start of the season, and it was expected that one of them would leave Barcelona.
"We had a meeting in 2016; Pep Guardiola flew here, explained his ideas, that he'd be at Manchester City in summer and would like to have me," said Ter Stegen.
“I told myself this could be the solution and the plan at Manchester City sounds very interesting. Looking at the last few years, it’s worked perfectly. I went to Luis Enrique and told him I wanted permission. He replied: ‘I won’t release you under any circumstances!’ He also said he'd tell the club they shouldn’t let me go.
"On one hand I really appreciated it, but I wanted to be number one. He said we should see how pre-season goes, I almost lost my temper... I just said: I’ll go to the board and just wanted to let you know. The board also said they wouldn’t release me. Three weeks later, Pep brought Claudio Bravo to Manchester City."
Ter Stegen's contract had an €80million release clause at the time, and with Barcelona determined to keep the German, City opted for Bravo and then Ederson. You could hardly say it was a mistake. Ederson has been perfect for City, and Ter Stegen has had an excellent career in Catalonia.
But maybe this summer things will work out differently. City have three goalkeepers aged 31 and over and while Ederson looks likely to stay, his future has been in the air for the last two summers and Saudi Pro League clubs have long held an interest.
In Barcelona, Ter Stegen is training alone after returning for pre-season. The German international missed a large chunk of last season through injury, and he has slipped down the pecking order after the €25million signing of Joan Garcia from Espanyol. Wojciech Szczęsny was signed to cover for Ter Stegen last term and has now agreed a two-year extension.
With Barcelona still needing to raise funds in the market, they would allow 33-year-old Ter Stegen to leave, with the aim of getting his salary off the books. Ter Stegen is likely to seek a departure to protect his status as German No. 1.
Although he is 15 months older than Ederson, it appears likely that City's Brazilian will leave next summer at the latest, when his contract expires. By moving for Ter Stegen in a cut-price deal now, City could bring in a No. 1 that could offer them another two or three years of certainty in the goalkeeping department.
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