Marc-Andre ter Stegen urges Barcelona to sign Bayern Munich’s Thiago
German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen wants Barcelona to bring Thiago Alcantara back from Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich are expected to sell some high profile players this summer in order to refresh their squad. Thiago Alcantara is one of the few players who is tipped to leave the Bavarians this summer. The Spaniard has already given cryptic hints about his future with the club.
Thiago has been heavily linked with a move back to Barcelona. Germany’s deputy goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has urged his club to sign the Spanish midfielder. According to Sport Bild, Ter Stegen openly admitted that Thiago would be an ideal transfer for Barcelona this summer. The German further added that the Bayern star would be a perfect replacement for Andres Iniesta, who left the Spanish club at the end of the season.
"“I would like to have Thiago at Barça. His playing style suits us. He is an interesting personality from our point of view.“Thiago is a special type of player. He definitely would offer us different possibilities. If a transfer happened, it would be brilliant both for him and for us.”"
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Sport Bild further confirmed in this report that Barcelona is the preferred destination for Thiago. The Spaniard joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona in 2013. Pep Guardiola had previously worked with the midfielder and he was eager to work with him again at Bayern.
Thiago had a poor start to his career at Bayern, as injuries limited his gametime in his first two seasons. However, in Guardiola’s third season he started showing his qualities on the pitch. He became a key player under Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian manager made him the main man in his three man midfield.
But after the Italian’s departure in September last year, Thiago suffered an injury which kept him out for three months.
The Spaniard was not the main man under Jupp Heynckes, as the German favoured a midfield three of Javi Martinez, James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller. Lothar Matthaus criticized Thiago for his poor performance in the DFB Pokal final and claimed that the Spaniard should be sold if a suitable offer arrived.
Bayern Munich have already acquired the services of Leon Goretzka for next season. Goretzka will add further depth to the midfield department at Bayern. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed yesterday that Thiago remains in the club’s plans for next season, but there will still likely be some midfielders exit the club in the summer.
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The Bavarians will probably demand a very high fee for Thiago, as his contract runs until 2021. If he delivers better performances for Spain at the World Cup, the price might shoot up even more. At the time of signing a new deal in 2017, Thiago had admitted that he wants to stay in Munich for a long time, but right now he is closer to an exit.