Marc-André Ter Stegen's serious injury has caused an earthquake in the FC Barcelona goal. The German said goodbye to the season after breaking his patellar tendon at Villarreal and forced the club to hire Wojciech Szczesny to cover his absence and fight for the starting position in goal with Iñaki Peña. However, the Catalans will evaluate the performance of both goalkeepers throughout the course of the season, with the option of signing a new replacement for the German during the next summer on the table.
According to 'Mundo Deportivo', the Catalans are already 'combing' the goalkeeper market in search of a reliable replacement who can take charge of the goal in the medium term since 'MATS', 32 years old, remains the first option of the club. The one that the institution likes the most is Diogo Costa from Porto, who Deco also knows very well due to his connection with the Portuguese team. Despite this, his price would be the main 'obstacle' of the operation.
The alternatives in LaLiga
For this reason, Can Barça have set their sights on several 'low cost' alternatives, of which two are in the league championship. The first of them, Joan García, with a contract with Espanyol until 2028 and whose price could reach 35 million euros if he is an absolute international. In the same way, Álvaro Valles, who ends his contract with UD Las Palmas in 2025, could arrive as a free agent to the Ciudad Condal as he has no intention of renewing his commitment.
The candidates from abroad
On the other hand, the culés have also set their sights on foreign leagues in search of attractive options. The Dutchman Bart Verbruggen from Brighton has caught the attention of the sports management, while the German Mio Backhaus (20 years old) from Werder Bremen is to Hansi Flick's liking. In addition, the Polish Marcin Bulka, a revelation for Nice, has already expressed interest in the Blaugrana institution, so movements are expected in goal starting next year.