Barcelona appear to be stepping up their hunt for a new goalkeeper this summer, despite reports in recent months that they would be sticking with Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny next season. The German goalkeeper is their captain, but it appears the Blaugrana are not convinced he still has the necessary level at the age of 33, coming off a third knee operation.
In recent days, all of the transfer talk in Barcelona has been surrounding Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, with the Blaugrana reportedly willing to activate his €25m release clause. There are doubts about their ability to convince him to cross the divide in Catalonia.
FC Barcelone have asked for deal conditions for Bart Verbruggen. He’s high on the list for goalkeepers. @Santi_J_FM
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 27, 2025
Barcelona enquire about Bart Verbruggen
With that in mind, it appears Barcelona are evaluating other options too. Previously it was framed as if Garcia’s release clause and rapid rise was an opportunity too good to miss, but it seems they do have genuine doubts about the number one spot next season. La Portera de Nunez informs that Barcelona have been in touch with Brighton about goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and his availability.
Me llama mi amiga Gabrielle de Brighton, que ha oífo que alguien de parte del Barça ha llamado preguntando por el portero Bart Verbruggen (22 años)…
— La portera de Núñez🖤🩺🖤 (@porteranunez) May 27, 2025
This has been corroborated by Footmercato, who say that the Blaugrana were looking to find out the conditions of a potential deal for Verbruggen, the current Dutch number one.
Barcelona’s goalkeeping shortlist
Verbruggen has previously been linked with Barcelona, as one of the options on their shortlist. Previously the likes of Mio Backhaus and Diogo Costa were cited as names that they were scouting, but alongside Verbruggen and Garcia, the other name that appears to have risen towards the top of their shortlist is Lille’s Lucas Chevalier. The Frenchman impressed in performances against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the Champions League this season. What budget Barcelona will have to go after any of the three this summer remains very much uncertain.
