Five young goalkeepers who could replace Ter Stegen at Barca

Stuart Telford

• 13 Apr 2022 15:11 BST
• 5 min read

Barcelona target Maarten Vandevoordt has committed to RB Leipzig, but there are plenty of other goalkeepers that could emerge as competition for Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the Camp Nou.

Ter Stegen has been the undisputed No.1 at Barcelona for eight years since signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, and still just 29-years-old, there is no real need to replace a custodian who now boasts 127 career clean sheets with the club.

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Illan Meslier

Current club: Leeds United

Age: 22

Country: France (U21 cap)

Already a Premier League regular between the posts at the tender age of 22, Meslier stands at a hulking 6'4", while his positioning and athleticism complement his frame - as a league-high 114 saves attest.

It has been a comparatively difficult second campaign in the English top flight for Leeds and Meslier - the Frenchman has only enjoyed four clean sheets compared to 11 last term - but for coach Jesse Marsch, the youngster has few equals.

"First of all, I think Illan’s talent is massive," the American told Leeds Live. "He's a young goalkeeper that's as good as any young goalkeeper I've ever seen. That's really exciting."

Meslier signed a five-year contract last summer, so would cost a pretty penny, but with Leeds still flirting with relegation, Barca could perhaps get him on the cheap before that deal expires.

Bartlomiej Dragowski

Current club: Fiorentina

Age: 24

Country: Poland (1 cap)

Another relatively young goalkeeper who Barcelona might be able to acquire more easily is Fiorentina shot-stopper Bartlomiej Dragowski.

The No.1 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi for the past two seasons, Dragowski has played second fiddle to Pietro Terracciano this term, a hamstring injury having disrupted his progress.

He remains in the 98th percentile for crosses stopped in Serie A, despite being restricted to just seven starts, however, and with a contract that expires in 2022, he could prove to be a budget-friendly acquisition for Barcelona sooner rather than later.

Yassine Bounou

Current club: Sevilla

Age: 31

Country: Morocco (40 caps)/Canada

Barcelona could also look closer to home, with Yassine Bounou known to have attracted their interest during his two seasons with Sevilla.

The Canada-born Morocco international - who first came to Spain with Atletico Madrid in 2012 - would need no time to settle, unlike some of the others on this list, but having won the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla in 2020, Bounou has played in pressure matches.

"I think this club is a great place to be and players feel Sevilla is very ambitious," he said on signing a new deal in February. "You want to continue with a club that's improving. That's why I am really enjoying my time here. There are rumours in football abut I'm really not proud of these rumours."

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Alban Lafont

Current club: Nantes

Age: 23

Country: France (U21 cap)/Burkina Faso

The second Frenchman on this list, who has already played in Italy with Fiorentina, would have little trouble adapting to life at Barca.

Would he want to? Already Nantes' captain at the tender age of 23, Alban Lafont is clearly enjoying his football, and he has helped steer Les Canaris to 3-1 victories at home and away to PSG this season. The second of those saw L'Equipe give him just their third ever 10/10 rating for a goalkeeper ever.

Lafont would undoubtedly rather face them on the European stage, however, which is a platform Barcelona are far better placed to offer than Nantes.

Inaki Pena

Current club: Galatasary (on loan from Barcelona)

Age: 23

Country: Spain (U21 cap)

With Neto bound for the Barcelona exit, the club's sense of urgency to provide competition for Ter Stegen is understandable. But they may have a solution on their books already.

Spain U21 star Inaki Pena is currently on loan at Galatasary, where he has supplanted Fernando Muslera as the club's No.1 in recent weeks. Gala are undefeated in each of their six Super Lig games since Pena started playing.

Pena is also close friends with Gavi and Pedri, and could help form the spine of the team for a generation to come. He also doesn't cost the club a transfer fee.