Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola once flew to Catalonia to try and sign the German, but he was denied the opportunity to move to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016.
After successful spells in charge of both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola was appointed Man City manager in July 2016 and one of the major decisions he made in his first transfer window was to axe Joe Hart as his number one goalkeeper.
Guardiola was keen to recruit a new shot-stopper that had the required qualities with the ball at his feet and Ter Stegen was identified as one of his top targets.
Following a meeting with Guardiola himself, Ter Stegen was attracted by a move to Man City and was open to leaving Barcelona, but his request to be granted permission to hold further talks with the Premier League giants was rejected by Barca and their head coach at the time, Luis Enrique.
Speaking to German news outlet Bild about the transfer ordeal, Ter Stegen said: “It was actually the case that we considered changing clubs. It was a moment when I wasn’t satisfied with the situation at Barca because even though we had won many titles, I hadn’t played in the league. I wanted to be the clear number one.
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Ter Stegen ‘almost lost his temper’ after being denied Man City move
“We even had a meeting in Barcelona. It was crazy. Pep flew here, and then we met at a friend’s apartment. He explained his ideas to me and that he would be at Manchester City starting in the summer and would like to have me. Pep really tried hard.
“Then I thought about it and told myself that this could be the solution to my problem and that the plan they have at City sounds very interesting. Looking at the last few years, it’s worked out perfectly.
“At some point I went to Luis Enrique and told him I wanted his permission. And he replied: ‘I won’t release you under any circumstances!’ He also said he would tell the club they shouldn’t let me go under any circumstances.
“I replied that on the one hand I really appreciated it, but on the other hand I wanted to be number one. When he then said we should see how the pre-season goes, I almost lost my temper, but I managed to control myself.”
A move for Ter Stegen ultimately failed to materialise for Man City, who instead opted to sign his Barcelona teammate and then first-choice shot-stopper Claudio Bravo, who endured a difficult first season at the Etihad before falling down the pecking order after the arrival of Ederson.
“I just said: Listen, that’s my wish now, and I’ll go to the board and just wanted to let you know,” Ter Stegen added. “The board also said they wouldn’t release me under any circumstances. Three weeks later, Pep brought my teammate Claudio Bravo to Man City. It was strange at first, but in the end I’m very, very happy.”
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Speaking in October 2016 ahead of Man City’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, Guardiola admitted he was interested in signing Ter Stegen, but he denied holding talks with other Catalan stars including Lionel Messi.
“If you are talking about this summer, I never called Messi. I never called Neymar, Luis Suarez, [Sergio] Busquets, [Andres] Iniesta, I didn’t call anybody,” Guardiola told reporters at a press conference.
“As for Ter Stegen, I knew that he wanted to play all the time. We got in touch. He wasn’t happy with his situation. We needed a goalkeeper like Claudio or Ter Stegen.
“Claudio came and Ter Stegen decided to stay. If I ever called a player playing in any other club it would be in a special situation of not playing, and it would be my right to – but I never called Leo Messi.”
Ter Stegen has forged successful Barca career since Man City ordeal
Ter Stegen has since established himself as Barcelona undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and has made a total of 420 appearances, winning an impressive 16 trophies including five La Liga titles and one Champions League.
However, the 32-year-old has only played seven times this season after having his campaign short in early September last year by a serious keen injury, with Wojciech Szczesny having since come out of retirement to fill the void.
Managed by Hansi Flick, Barcelona remain on course to win the treble this season, as they sit four points clear at the top of La Liga, have progressed to the Copa de Rey final against Real Madrid and are still competing in the last eight of the Champions League.
