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With the Joan Garcia deal just around the corner, murmurs over Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s future are growing with each passing second.
Although the German international has no desire to leave Barcelona anytime soon, the club could be forced to consider his exit if they do end up elevating Garcia to a number-one role.
Ter Stegen, meanwhile, has been a loyal servant of the club for the past 11 years. However, if he leaves now, he could risk missing out on some key records.
Ter Stegen on the brink of key records
Ter Stegen is currently sitting on 422 official appearances for Barcelona. That makes him the most experienced active player in the squad by some distance.
Only one goalkeeper in the club’s history has played more – Victor Valdes, who featured in 535 official matches.
The gap between the two is 113 games, and with three years left on his current contract, Ter Stegen could have realistically overtaken Valdes if he continued as an undisputed starter.
Will Marc-Andre ter Stegen leave Barcelona this summer? (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
Last season, however, injury cut his campaign short, limiting him to just nine matches.
In his absence, the club brought in Wojciech Szczesny on a short-term deal, and now, with Espanyol’s Joan Garcia emerging as a long-term target, things have shifted.
If Barcelona decide to move forward with Garcia, Ter Stegen’s path to surpassing Valdes could be blocked or, worse, brought to an abrupt end.
He is also just 27 games away from breaking into the top ten of all-time appearances for the club – Carles Rexach, with 449 appearances, sits tenth on the list.
That, too, could slip away if this summer brings an unexpected departure of the former Gladbach goalkeeper.