Barcelona face competition from Bayern Munich for €45m shot-stopper | OneFootball

FC Barcelona currently has a squad capable of competing at the highest level and doesn’t have many glaring weaknesses. A few months ago, no one would have been confident in making this statement, but La Masia, as always, has helped paper over the cracks that seemed to appear back in the summer.

The pivot position was one major worry for Barcelona and has been for almost two seasons but the emergence of Marc Casado and Marc Bernal has ensured that the Catalan club does not need to go into the market and spend money to bring in a player for that position.

Similarly, Raphinha’s form has all but ensured that Barcelona doesn’t need to splurge on the left wing position either, with the likes of Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati available to provide backup, should the need arise.

However, in the long term, one position that they need to sign a player for is the goalkeeping department. Club captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is currently out with a knee injury and it will be a while before he returns to action.

At 32, coming back from a serious injury could be difficult for the German shot-stopper. Thus, the club might be forced to look at replacements in the long run. One player that they have identified is 25-year-old FC Porto shot-stopper Diogo Costa.

However, as per SPORT, Barcelona are set to face competition from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for his signature. The German club sees the €45m-rated shot-stopper as their perfect replacement for Manuel Neuer, who is also getting on in age.

The report reveals that Porto are not intending to part ways with their first-choice goalkeeper and this could be reflected in his asking price. Although he has a €75m release clause, Porto should be ready to accept somewhere between €40m and €50m.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona make a concrete attempt to sign Diogo Costa. Next summer would be the ideal time to snap him up but this could cause a reshuffle in the shot-stopper position at the club. Let’s wait and see how it plays out.