Wojciech Szczesny has confirmed he has reached a deal to join Barcelona as emergency cover for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury during Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Villarreal, with reports suggesting he could miss close to eight months of action after undergoing surgery.
While Inaki Pena started in goal for Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Getafe, Barca wasted little time in searching for a senior replacement for Ter Stegen and quickly settled on Szczesny, who indicated a willingness to come out of retirement following his decision to hang up his gloves this summer.
Already in Marbella ahead of a medical, Szczesny admitted he simply could not turn down the chance to join Barcelona.
“I have a lot of respect for Barca’s history; it is one of the best clubs in the world,” he told SPORT. “I understand the difficult situation that has arisen for them after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s injury and I think it would be disrespectful of me not to consider this option.”
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick refused to rule out a move for an experienced goalkeeper after Wednesday’s game.
“I’m only talking about the players I have, and Inaki is our goalkeeper,” he began. “I’m happy today. We have three more points.
“Inaki is 25 years old and the rest are very young and if something happens, we need a goalkeeper with experience. Deco and I have discussed and reflected on it. We’re working on it.”
