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Not too long ago, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was one of the hottest goalkeeping commodities around. The lanky German international became a rising star with Borussia Monchengladbach, and it was little surprise that Barcelona brought in the 22 year old to try to help replace Victor Valdes this past summer.
Then Barcelona brought in Claudio Bravo, and ter Stegen's future suddenly got much murkier. The Chilean has been preferred in goal by Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in league play, leaving ter Stegen only seven matches so far this season: Barca's six Champions League group stage matches and Thursday's Copa del Rey match against Elche.
Predictably, ter Stegen doesn't seem too happy about that. He spoke recently to German newspaper Bild, telling them that "the situation is difficult. I’d be lying if I said I didn't care and it isn't easy being a spectator." He went on to say that he was willing to fight for his place and prove that he's better than Bravo, but his playing time situation coupled with a statement in the press like that would seemingly open the door to transfer speculation galore.
Enter Liverpool.
According to English newspapers, Liverpool are considering making an offer for ter Stegen. Brendan Rodgers is supposedly a long-time admirer of the German goalkeeper's, and had previously wanted to bring him to Anfield, only to have his efforts rebuffed. Now, with Simon Mignolet continuing to struggle and no other adequate replacement in sight, a German international desperate for more playing time to prove his quality could be just the ticket.
Such a deal wouldn't be cheap by any means; Barcelona paid €12 million for ter Stegen just this past summer, a deal that could reportedly rise to as high as €20 million with performance add-ons. Barcelona would want a deal worth at least that much in order to let him go.
There's also a further complication: Barcelona's transfer ban. They can't make any incoming transfers during 2015 after their transfer ban for improper recruitment of young players was recently upheld. While that wouldn't directly prevent Liverpool from getting their hands on ter Stegen, Barca wouldn't be able to replace him until next year. Given as they'd probably want a better backup for Bravo than Jordi Masip, they'll be even more unwilling to part with ter Stegen than they'd normally be.
This one feels fairly unlikely, purely for the cost and Barcelona's likely reticence to part with the big German. But this is probably still worth keeping an eye on, simply because ter Stegen is quite good and you don't get a ton of chances to get goalkeepers with his quality and potential.
