The 23-year-old Barcelona goalkeeper and German international, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has hinted at a possible Barcelona exit at the end of the 2015-16 season.
Ter Stegen who is currently serving the German national football team during the international break has spoken to a number of reporters regarding his future at the Catalan club.
"I want to take the next step forward and play more because the situation is clear: if nothing changes, we will have to have talks,” the second-choice German goalkeeper said.
Trending
The goalkeeper was transferred to the Nou Camp from Borussia Monchengladbach back in 2014 and since then hasn’t managed to stamp his authority on the first team.
“At the end of the season, I will have played around 25 games. It's not a small amount, but when I get back from national team duty, it's likely I will be on the bench in the Clasico against Real Madrid. So 25 games are not enough for me,” ter Stegen added.
When asked about which club he wants to join if the situation demands, he told the reporters, “No idea. It's too early to say. We've got games coming up against Real Madrid in La Liga and Atletico in the Champions League. That's all that counts. After that, we will see what the club does with me.”
The 23-year-old started his senior professional career at Borussia Monchengladbach back in 2009 where he played for a couple of years in the reserve team before being promoted to the senior side. He represented the club on 108 occasions in the Bundesliga before finally moving to Spain.
Ter Stegen has never quite remained shy of the fact that he was not getting enough games at the Nou Camp since Claudio Bravo is preferred in one competition while the German is preferred in others.
With the German international poised to turn 24 this April, he believes that he is now ready – both mentally and physically – to be a regular goalkeeper at a top club in the world including Barcelona.
“The decision is made by the coach. I hope that the quality I've shown recently is rewarded,” Ter Stegen told the media.
The Monchengladbach-born goalkeeper has had a tremendous season last year in terms of trophy count. He won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup – all in one season.
