Chelsea keeping an eye on Marc-Andre ter Stegen‘s situation at Barcelona.
Chelsea are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper as Frank Lampard seems to have decided the fate of Kepa Arrazibalaga. The future of the Spanish goalkeeper looks to be away from Stamford Brigde.
The club have been linked with AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Ajax’s André Onana. But now they’re reportedly chasing an even bigger name.
According to the Daily Express, Chelsea are interested in Marc-Andre ter Stegen. They are aware of his current situation at the Catalan club and have undoubtedly read some of the rumors following the loss to Real Madrid.
Some of those include falling out with Messi and another story that he and the Argentine had a confrontation in the locker room. Another one claimed that he was considering leaving the club because he was disappointed with the level of training.
Whether the stories are true or not, as the saying goes “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” and the London-based club could use some of the reported unrest to their advantage.
The German keeper would vastly improve their goalkeeping situation and is the best options out of the names tied to the club.
Chelsea have struggled at that position with Kepa not living up to expectations when the club broke the transfer record for a keeper. Since coming from Athletic Bilbao, he’s had his share of blunders.
Perhaps none more so than when he refused to come off during a match when Maurizio Sarri was manager.
His errors have become so frequent this season that Lampard has opted to play Willy Caballero over the Spanish international.
Prying Ter Stegen away from Barcelona is going to be a tough task. Despite the stories, Ter Stegen appears to be happy at the club and is one of the club’s most important players.
So much so that according to ESPN, the Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, wants to sign him to a contract extension and make sure that when he leaves the presidency, he’s locked up both him and Lionel Messi.
Given Ter Stegen’s importance, Chelsea will need to make an exorbitant offer for him. Chelsea may stick with Kepa or prefer less high-profile keepers if they believe improvements in other areas of the pitch are a higher priority.