Ter Stegen reveals how Guardiola nearly signed him for Man City

FC Barcelona captain and goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen has revealed how Pep Guardiola nearly signed him for Manchester City nearly a decade ago.

Stegen was signed in the 2014/15 season when Barcelona went on to win the treble with the German in goal particularly in the UEFA Champions League.

Barca’s captain says Guardiola reached out to him a year after to bring him to Manchester after he told Luis Enrique it was his desire to be released at the end of that campaign.

The now PSG manager refused Ter Stegen’s request, insisting that the move would not be happening any time soon.

Now, Ter Stegen says although he appreciates his time at Barca over the years, that moment was a truly difficult one to navigate at the time.

“At one point, I went to see Luis Enrique and told him I wanted to be released. Luis Enrique replied: ‘I’m not going to release you!’ When he said we should see how pre-season went, I almost lost my temper, but I managed to control myself”, he told Bild.

“Barca has since been a home for me and my family and I am happy to be here, but was really a difficult time for me in the first few years”, Stegen added.

Ter Stegen sustained a knee injury back in October last year but is on course to return in the next weeks. He will be hoping to contribute to Barca’s current impressive run across all competitions this term, knowing all possible trophies are within reach for the Catalans.