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Liverpool have a long history of being linked to fringe and out of favour Barcelona players by the rumour mongers in the press. And with Jürgen Klopp signing on to manage the club, most fans expect an uptick in links to Bundesliga players in the coming months.
It only makes sense, then, that those two things should be combined. If only there were an out of favour, fringe Barcelona player who was German and started out in the Bundesliga. A player, perhaps, like 23-year-old stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who in year two at the club remains stuck behind Claudio Bravo.
The young German arrived at the Nou Camp expecting to become the main starter for the Catalans, but shortly after he arrived they went out and signed Chile number one Bravo. Faced with two starting-calibre goalkeepers, it was Bravo who was given league duties while ter Stegen got to play in the cups.
Neither goalkeeper is especially happy with the situation, with rumours ter Stegen has asked his agent to look for a move away and Bravo grumbling openly in the press. And with Bravo tentatively ‘keeper 1A to ter Stegen's 1B, if one of them is to move on, it's likely to be the young and talented German.
"If I tell you that I'm happy I'd be lying," Bravo said when asked about the prospect of sitting mid-week after he earned a clean sheet against Getafe on the weekend. "I try to take it calmly because I know what my role is. It's not my decision and we have to respect the coach, and when we play do our best."
Whether Liverpool are actually interested in helping Barcelona to solve their ‘keeper conundrum is another question. Klopp may, after all, be perfectly happy with Mignolet, who is a top shot stopper even if he's somewhat lacking in the distribution department. If he isn't, replacing him still may not be a priority.
With a release clause of more than £60M, ter Stegen would be expensive, even if Barcelona decided they wanted to deal. And Liverpool will likely have other priorities than goalkeeper come January, with fullback, defensive midfielder, wing, and striker all arguably positions of greater need.
There's also the small matter of Manchester United reportedly sniffing around the unhappy German as an eventual David de Gea replacement. Still, for the right price, ter Stegen would be the kind of signing Liverpool and the club's fans would find it hard to pass up a chance at.