Barcelona sporting director Deco appears to have ruled out a move for Marc-Andre ter Stegen after Manchester United reportedly made an approach to sign the goalkeeper in January.
Ter Stegen’s future came into question after Barca wrapped up a summer deal with Espanyol to sign Joan Garcia, who has gone on to establish himself as Hansi Flick’s number one this season.
Since arriving at Barca back in 2014, Ter Stegen has made a total of 422 appearances in all competitions, while helping the Catalan giants win 17 pieces of silverware – including six La Liga titles and the Champions League.
The 33-year-old also took over the reins from Sergi Roberto as captain last year, only to have the armband stripped away again in August after a messy dispute broke out over the timeline of his ongoing back problem.
But while the disagreement was eventually resolved, with Ter Stegen reinstated as skipper, speculation has remained that the German could soon be set for the exit door at the Camp Nou.
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Recent reports emanating out of Catalonia claimed Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle were all closely monitoring developments and had made enquiries over Ter Stegen’s availability this winter.
Though United completed a deadline-day deal for Senne Lammens to replace the error-prone Andre Onana, it’s understood Ter Stegen remains a player of interest amongst Old Trafford bosses.
However, speaking to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Barca chief Deco was keen to shut down rumours that the shot-stopper may leave at the midway stage of the season.
Asked if Barca would be prepared to let Ter Stegen depart in January, Deco replied: ‘That’s not on the table.
‘Right now, we’ve been short on goalkeepers – we even had to bring [Diego] Kochen back from the Under-20 World Cup in Chile.
‘If Marc were available, he’d be playing. He has a contract and that’s it.’
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Despite Garcia nailing down his spot as Flick’s first-choice goalkeeper, Deco is confident Ter Stegen still has ‘plenty of history to write’ with Barcelona.
‘Marc is a great goalkeeper, our captain, and still has plenty of history to write here at the age of 33,’ he added.
‘Signing Garcia wasn’t about replacing him – it was about reinforcing a position where we lacked depth.”
‘We wanted a young ‘keeper for the present and future, not a 28 to 30-year-old for short-term results. That’s the reality. Sometimes issues here are made bigger than they really are.’
Pressed on whether Ter Stegen was informed of Barca’s attempts to sign Garcia, Deco responded: ‘That’s not how it works – you don’t “explain” signings to players. That’s not the case here.
‘When Marc got injured, we only had Inaki [Pena] and very young ‘keepers.
‘Before signing anyone, we told our goalkeeping coach that [Ander] Astralaga and Kochen needed to play. But we also needed a reliable third goalkeeper. Marc’s injury made it even clearer.”
‘This is about planning, not replacing Marc. Who plays is always the coach’s decision.’
Ter Stegen’s back injury means the Germany international is still yet to play a single minute for the La Liga champions this term.
But Ter Stegen is said to be making good progress with his rehabilitation and there are hopes he could return to first-team action between late November and early December.
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