3 hours ago
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Girona coach Michel has named Marc-André ter Stegen a "top player" amid ongoing speculation that the German international goalkeeper could join the struggling LaLiga club from Barcelona.
The portal Sport said that Girona were the most interested club in Ter Stegen who has lost first-choice status at Barca and needs matches to play for Germany at the World Cup.
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It quoted Michael as saying at a Catalan Football gala on Monday night: "He's a top player, everyone would like to have a player like him."
Ter Stegen, 33, has been at Barca since 2014 and has a contract until 2028.
He is no longer first choice, with coach Hansi Flick preferring summer signing Joan Garcia. Ter Stegen was out for several months after back surgery but is now fit again. He played in a recent Copa del Rey match which Flick named a one-off.
Ter Stegen needs playing time to retain his status as German number one for next year's World Cup, national team coach Julian Nagelsmann has said. Oliver Baumann was between the posts in all six World Cup qualifiers when Ter Stegen was injured.
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Barca's next match after a short break over Christmas and New Year is on Saturday against crosstown rivals Espanyol. The next Germany matches are World Cup tune-ups against Switzerland and Ghana at the end of March.
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