The Blaugrana wanted rid of the Germany goalkeeper, but he’s not going anywhere and seems intent on making life very difficult for his employers
Barcelona are arguably the most exciting team in world football right now. Because of their fantastic forwards and ridiculously high defensive line, Hansi Flick’s men pretty much guarantee goals at both ends of the pitch, as so thrillingly underlined by their epic Champions League semi-final loss to Inter.
However, Barca are also tremendously entertaining off the field – and particularly during transfer windows. During the Josep Maria Bartomeu era, it was always fun to see which ridiculously expensive and utterly superfluous addition would be made to the squad. Since the election of lever-pulling Joan Laporta as president, the focus has shifted to trying to figure out how on earth the Blaugrana will balance the books.
It’s always highly amusing watching Barca sign players they can’t afford before then going to comical lengths to try to register the new arrivals with La Liga. In that sense, the Spanish champions are a journalist’s dream, an endless supply of drama.
However, even by the Catalans’ ludicrously high standards, the 2025 summer could be something special, as the stage is now set for an incredibly compelling soap opera starring Marc-Andre ter Stegen that could end very badly for Barca…
