Marc-Andre ter Stegen had been linked to Barcelona for months and on Monday he signed.
Barcelona have signed Marc-Andre ter Stegen to be their new goalkeeper, the club announced. The signing comes as no surprise, as Barcelona need a goalkeeper in the wake of Victor Valdes' departure and ter Stegen has been linked to the Catalan club for months.
Valdes announced last season that he would leave Barcelona when his contract expired in the summer and he never shied away from that. That almost left Barcelona in trouble when FIFA handed down a transfer ban that would have kept the club from signing anyone this summer, but they were cleared to make summer signings and snapped up ter Stegen.
The 22-year-old ter Stegen had been at Borussia Monchengladbach since he was a child, but after emerging as one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, even earning four caps for Germany, it was time for him to find a bigger club. Now he's found one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Barcelona hope that they have their goalkeeper for the next 15 years in ter Stegen. The club targeted him a long time ago and even as they transitioned from Gerardo Martino to Luis Enrique as manager, ter Stegen was still a priority for them. An excellent shot stopper and good coming off his line at 6'3, ter Stegen is also adept with the ball at his feet, something that is important for Barcelona and their style of play.