Barcelona goalkeeping target not interested in move to Catalan giants | OneFootball

Barcelona may feel in safe hands for at least the next 12-15 months in the goalkeeping position, but there is no doubt that by the time that period ends, the Blaugrana hope to have a succession plan in place for veterans Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny. One of the options they have been eyeing now looks out of reach though.

Since the arrival of Hansi Flick, alongside staff Marcus Sorg and Heiko Westermann, German goalkeeper Mio Backhaus has been intermittently linked with the Blaugrana. Sorg was under-19s assistant manager for Germany when he left to join Barcelona as Flick’s assistant, and thus would have been well aware of Backhaus’ abilities.

Image via RTVE

The 20-year-old has been the back-up at Werder Bremen this season, but caught the eye of a number of top clubs last season while on loan at FC Volendam. Barcelona had included him in a list of goalkeepers that they were considering as successors for ter Stegen, but MD say that any hopes of move in the next couple of years are unlikely. From sources in Germany they say that Backhaus wants to be play regular football after his next move, thus ruling out Barcelona as an option, where he would have to wait. Backhaus has already been in contact with FC Copenhagen and Brighton, who have also shown an interest in him.

Curiously, one of the candidates on Barcelona’s list is Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Presumably, if Backhaus wants first-team football, and Brighton are an option, that would imply that Verbruggen could be on the move too, potentially making a move to Barcelona tricky for the Dutchman in the near future.

Ter Stegen has a contract until 2028, and Barcelona are set to hand an extension to Szczesny for next season. However with the former now 32, and undergoing a third surgery in four seasons, doubts are growing about his long-term viability. He will be 36 when his current contract expires.