An Arsenal favourite could be La Liga-bound after Barcelona made an approach to sign him.
The Catalan side have found themselves in need of goalkeeping cover following an injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who ruptured the patella in his knee. After undergoing surgery to repair the damage, he may miss the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.
Back-up Inaki Pena replaced the Barca skipper when he suffered the injury during the 5-1 La Liga win over Villarreal at the weekend, but the 25-year-old is relatively inexperienced, having played just 13 times for the club, meaning Hansi Flick’s side is looking for cover.
Barcelona make shock approach for ex Arsenal star, Wojciech Szczesny
This cover could come in the shape of former Arsenal stopper Wojciech Szczesny, who hung up his gloves in the summer following his release from Juventus.
The Pole had spent seven seasons with the Italian giants, turning out more than 250 times in all competitions, winning three Serie A titles and three Coppa Italias before announcing in August that he would be retiring from football shortly after he agreed with Juve to terminate his contract.
But with Barca now looking short at the back, with untested 20-year-old Ander Astralaga backing up Pena, they are looking to tempt Szczesny back into the game, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that the club have held talks with the former Poland international’s representatives to discuss potential terms.
One sticking point comes via a report from Sport, who claim that as part of Szczesny's Juventus exit, a ‘secret’ clause was added into his settlement stipulating that the club would be entitled to a financial payment if the player signs with another top-flight club before the end of the 2024/25 season.
This was included because the 34-year-old still had one year remaining on his deal in Turin.
Former Blaugrana ‘keeper Keylor Navas, who is a free agent following his release from Paris Saint-Germain, has also been linked with a return to Catalonia. Ter Stegen was ranked by FourFourTwo as the third-best stopper in the world earlier this year, so it is clear the club need to do something to try and fill this void.
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Arsenal themselves were linked with a move for Szczesny over the summer, with the Gunners lacking in the goalkeeping department themselves. Mikel Arteta has since found himself down to the bare bones between the sticks – and could end up playing a 16-year-old against Bolton tonight in the League Cup.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the ball appears to be in Szczesny's court here, and it all depends how much the former Gunner is enjoying his retirement. It’s a smart move from Barca to sound out an experienced stopper given Ter Stegan’s injury, with Szczesny playing 35 out of 38 league games for Juve last season.
