Marc-Andre ter Stegen 'unhappy' at Barcelona leading Liverpool fans to call on Jurgen Klopp to sign him
Ter Stegen was left out of Barcelona's Club World Cup campaign and has made just four La Liga appearances in 18 months
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Your support makes all the difference.Barcelona’s Club World Cup success may come at a substantial cost after German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was left out of the side and it now said to be considering his future at the Nou Camp.
The young Germany international was seen as the long-term successor to Victor Valdes when he arrived in Catalonia from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, but he has since made just four La Liga appearances in 18 months and is seriously pondering a move in January in a bid to rediscover first-team football, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
Ter Stegen was widely tipped as one of the most talented young goalkeeper’s in world football, prompting Barcelona to launch a move for him when his contract with Monchengladbach expired in the summer of 2014.
He was initially given the first-team role upon his arrival, only to see the club also sign Claudio Bravo after an impressive World Cup with Chile, and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has since elected to drop the rotation policy between the two and go with Bravo as his first-choice, relegating Ter Stegen to the bench.
The final straw appears to have been Ter Stegen’s snub in the Club World Cup in Japan last week, where Enrique elected to start Bravo in both matches against Guangzhou Evergrande and River Plate and leave the German out completely.
Ter Stegen did take part in the celebrations after the final whistle in the Yokohama Stadium, but the displeasure on his face was evident for all to see and he is now said to be looking at other options across Europe.
The news that the 21-year-old could be available has led to a number of Liverpool fans take to Twitter to call on the club to move for the goalkeeper, given the problems they have had between the sticks this season. Simon Mignolet has been far from convincing under Jurgen Klopp this term and seems to be incapable of playing a match without committing at least one costly mistake, while his replacement Adam Bogdan was at fault for Watford’s opening goal in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat when he failed to catch a cross from a corner.
Liverpool have shown no interest in Ter Stegen as of yet, but the news of his unhappiness could trigger a glance from Merseyside as their search for reinforcements begins to kick into gear. The Reds are already on the verge of signing Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade, while they have also been linked with defensive midfielder Joel Matip of Schalke – although neither are expected to arrive at the club until summer.
There has also been suggestions of a move for Marseille captain Steve Mandanda, with the 30-year-old nearing an exit from the Ligue 1 club, although Klopp could be interested in launching a move for his compatriot Ter Stegen given the links back to Germany and the fact that he would represent a long-term vision as opposed to Mandanda.
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