Chelsea have ‘returned to ask for information’ on Barcelona star Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who’s also been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer.
The Blues are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper despite their raft of options after Robert Sanchez’s inconsistent displays as No.1 last season.
Until recently, Chelsea had nine goalkeepers on their books, but Marcus Bettinelli has made a £2m move to Manchester City while Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined Arsenal for £5m, and both Lucas Bergstrom and Eddie Beach are now free agents after his contract expired, leaving them with just the five ‘keepers on their books.
But none of Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Djordje Petrovic, Mike Penders or Gabriel Slonina are up to scratch in the eyes of the Blues deision-makers, who recently failed in their bid to land Mike Maignan from AC Milan before moving on to alternative targets.
It’s claimed a bid of €20m [£17m] was made for Maignan, but Chelsea were unwilling to stretch to the £20m the Serie A side wanted for the actual France No.1.
Reports have suggested they could negotiate again after the Club World Cup as Maignan has already told the Premier League side he wants to join, but CaughtOffside claim Chelsea have also ‘returned to ask for information about ter Stegen, confirming that the German goalkeeper is on their list of options’.
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Ter Stegen is assessing his future at the Nou Camp after Barcelona brought in Arsenal target Joan Garcia as a rival for his spot in the first XI, while Wojciech Szczesny also proved himself to be a reliable backup during Ter Stegen’s absence through injury last term.
The report claims that ‘likely means Ter Stegen might have to look elsewhere for first-team opportunities’, which would surely come at Chelsea, and indeed Manchester United, who have reportedly ‘made similar checks’ on the 33-year-old amid reports the Germany international could be used in a swap deal for Marcus Rashford.
On Chelsea’s interest, the report claimed ‘our source confirmed that no final decision would come imminently, but that Chelsea would “continue to monitor the situation” in the coming weeks’.
A report last week from Fanatik claiming that Ter Stegen has ‘reached an agreement’ to move to Galatasaray has been refuted by Spanish outlet Fichajes, who claim ‘the Premier League is his only viable destination’, before confirming the interest from both Chelsea and Manchester United.
The report adds:
‘Joan García is ready to take on the challenge [of being Barcelona No.1], and the club needs to release payroll. Ter Stegen’s stage seems to be living its last chapters. Only the final step from the Premier League is missing.’
