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Chelsea have submitted an offer for Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, according to the Metro. The Blues are in the lookout for a new goalkeeper after Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to live up to his promise since joining the London side.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been consistently one of Barcelona's best players in the last couple of seasons, but is yet to sign a new contract with the club with his current deal expiring in 2022.
Chelsea interested in signing Barcelona's Number 1
Chelsea are desperately looking to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Kepa after his £71m move from Atheltic Bilbao in 2018. The 25-year-old lost his place between the sticks to veteran goalkeeper Willy Caballero, after having the worst save percentage in Premier League history.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was voted the second-best goalkeeper in the world in 2019, is yet to sign a new contract with Barcelona after contract talks stalled during the pandemic. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has gone on record to say that the German international needs to drop his wage demands for a new deal to be agreed.
"He understands what is happening in society and he knows that with the decrease in income at clubs like Barca, he will have to adjust his salary. All the players are doing it and we are working on that", the Barcelona president said earlier in the season.
Chelsea have been linked with Atletico Madrid stopper Jan Oblak as well as André Onana of Ajax. English goalkeepers Dean Henderson and Nick Pope have also been mentioned in various columns as a possible replacement for Kepa.
Given Ter Stegen's influence in the Barcelona team, it is unlikely that the Blaugrana would sell their prized asset this season. The 28-year-old is one of the best goalkeepers in the world with his feet, with manager Quique Setien preferring his goalkeepers to be able to play out from the back.
Chelsea have already secured the signature of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech for the upcoming season, with Kai Havertz close to securing a move to London. If Chelsea do sign a top-class goalkeeper this season, they might need to find potential suitors for Kepa, which might be a challenge given his performances in the Premier League.
