Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, as per a recent report.
Following Hugo Lloris’ departure, the Lilywhites initially attempted to sign David Raya from Brentford a couple of years ago. However, after failing to purchase him, they decided to buy Guglielmo Vicario from the Italian side, Empoli.
The 29-year-old has displayed inconsistent performances in the Premier League in recent times. As a result, it appears Thomas Frank is contemplating purchasing a new goalkeeper next year.
As per a recent report (via Fichajes), Tottenham are interested in Ter Stegen and have already made contact with Barcelona to learn about the details of signing him.
However, Spurs aren’t the only club in this race as Man Utd and Newcastle United are also plotting a swoop. They have also held talks with the Blaugrana to enquire about the details of buying him.
United signed Senne Lammens to bolster the goalkeeping department this summer, and he displayed a solid debut performance against Sunderland last weekend. However, he is still very young and Ruben Amorim’s side are looking for an experienced goalkeeper to support the Belgian.
Battle
After moving to the Catalan giants from Borussia Monchengladbach back in 2014, Ter Stegen established himself as a first-choice goalkeeper.
However, injury problems, coupled with his tendency to make high-profile errors, forced Barcelona to sign Joan García this summer. The Spaniard has now established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper but has picked up an injury recently and is set to remain sidelined over the next couple of months.
On the other hand, Ter Stegen has also been out injured and isn’t going to return anytime soon. But he is open to leaving Barcelona in January to play regularly in order to secure his place in the German national team for next summer’s World Cup.
The 33-year-old, valued at around £7m by Transfermarkt, was deemed one of the most talented goalkeepers in the world during the early stages of his career. However, his reputation has gone downhill in recent years.
Therefore, it would be a surprise if Man Utd or Tottenham eventually opt to secure his service in January.