Barcelona hope to tie goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a new long-term contract amid reported interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Preliminary talks over a new deal started earlier this year, but were put off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aside from captain Lionel Messi, Ter Stegen has been Barca’s most important player over the past few seasons and president Josep Maria Bartomeu said last week that the German’s renewal was top priority this summer.
“For me, [renewing] Marc-Andre ter Stegen [is the priority],” Bartomeu told Mundo Deportivo.
“Not just for his quality as a goalkeeper, but also for his personality as a player, his manner and the way he relates to people.
“He's a mainstay in the dressing room and for the future. For a goalkeeper, he's very young and he's already in the elite. At 28, he's one of the three best in the world.”
After returning from a few days in Ibiza this week, Ter Stegen was asked by reporters at Barcelona’s El Prat airport whether he will be renewing with the Catalan club and replied: “We’ll see.”
The German has often spoken warmly of life in Barcelona, where he lives with his partner and baby son, and Standard Sport understands he is keen to extend his time at the club.
Ter Stegen claimed in May that he was happy to wait for talks to resume, but the 28-year-old is also frustrated after a turbulent season which saw former coach Ernesto Valverde sacked in January and LaLiga lost to Real Madrid earlier this month.
Widely considered to be one of the world’s best, Ter Stegen currently earns less than €5 million per year, which is under half the amount paid by Manchester United to David De Gea.
And while Bartomeu has claimed it is priority to renew the German, the Barca president hinted that his goalkeeper might not be given a big raise due to the financial effects of Covid-19.
“He understands what is happening in society and he knows that with the decrease in income at clubs like Barca, he will have to adjust his salary,” the president said.
Those words might not gone down too well with Ter Stegen, especially with Barca still exploring ways to bring in expensive forwards such as Neymar and Lautaro Martinez.
Catalan show Què T’hi Jugues!, on Cadena SER, claimed on Thursday that the German has lucrative offers from Bayern and Chelsea.
At Bayern and with the German national team, Ter Stegen is a natural successor for Manuel Neuer, while Chelsea are seeking an upgrade after the disappointing form of Kepa Arrizabalaga this season.
Standard Sport understands that Chelsea have identified Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak as ideal replacements and while interest is Ter Stegen is merely speculation at present, the Blues would be interested if a goalkeeper of that calibre became available.
But speculation linking two of Europe’s top teams will set some alarm bells ringing at Camp Nou, where Ter Stegen is already regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club’s history.
The 28-year-old will hope that value is reflected in Barcelona’s contract offer, but both parties still expect an agreement to be reached.
