Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen revealed that he almost signed for Manchester City after a 'crazy' meeting with Pep Guardiola.
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Ter Stegen almost signed for Man City in 2016 Reveals Guardiola paid him a surprise visit in Barcelona German happy about not leaving Camp Nou Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed the details of his proposed move to Manchester City in 2016, when he received a surprise visit from Cityzens manager Pep Guardiola in the city of Barcelona. Ter Stegen mentioned that Guardiola wanted to sign him but explained why the move eventually broke down, stating that he was happy about now switching La Liga for the Premier League.
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The German goalkeeper signed for Barcelona in 2014 from Borussia Monchengladbach. That summer also saw the arrival of Claudio Bravo, with Victor Valdes and Jose Manuel Pinto departing from the club. Before the league began, Ter Stegen suffered an injury, which saw Bravo automatically becoming Enrique's first-choice goalkeeper, playing zero games in LaLiga but starting in all the Copa del Rey and Champions League games as part of the coach's rotation policy.
"In the long run, these 25 games per season are not enough for me. The decision is made by the coach. I hope that the quality I've shown recently is rewarded," Ter Stegen said in March 2016, hinting at a possible exit at the time.
WHAT MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN SAID
Speaking on BILD's Phrasenmaher podcast (h/t Sky Sport Germany), Ter Stegen said: "We met here in Barcelona. It was crazy: I had to pick up someone else at the airport in the morning, but Pep came out too, with his cap on. I saw him and didn't know what to do. We met that evening at a friend's apartment.
"The plan sounded very good; I could have seen myself there. Pep wanted to make everything possible, and the club was very committed to me."
Ter Stegen also revealed that then-manager Luis Enrique objected to his release: "When he said we'd wait for the preseason—after two years—I almost got angry. I then spoke to the board. They also said: 'We're not letting you go under any circumstances.' The release clause at the time was €80 million.
Three weeks later, Claudio Bravo was at Man City. That was kind of strange. In the end, the transfer didn't happen, and I'm very happy about that."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN?
The soon-to-be 33-year-old is currently recovering from a ruptured knee tendon injury that he suffered in September. However, Barcelona received a boost as the German international returned to training in late March after spending seven months on the sidelines. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans are hopeful for a tentative return to action for Ter Stegen by late April.
