Barcelona make shock Wojciech Szczesny approach with ex-Juventus goalkeeper willing to come out of retirement to cover for injured No.1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen

The German keeper might miss the rest of the campaign after he was forced to go under the knife to repair his ruptured patella in the knee. Barcelona are actively seeking a temporary solution to cover the crucial goalkeeper position and have already shortlisted a number of candidates to reinforce the squad.

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  According to Tomasz Wlodarczyk, Barcelona have set their sights on Szczesny, the 34-year-old Polish goalkeeper who retired earlier this summer. The shot-stopper, who last played for Juventus, has accepted the club’s proposal and is ready to come out of retirement to help the Blaugrana. However, he is not the only candidate on their radar, as Barcelona are also keen on former Costa Rica international Keylor Navas, among others.

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    However, according to Sport, there is one key obstacle that could complicate the move. Upon Szczesny’s retirement from Juventus, the two parties reportedly agreed to a ‘secret’ clause which stipulates that Juventus would be entitled to a financial payment should Szczesny decide to sign with another top-level club before June 20, 2025. This provision was included because Szczesny had one year remaining on his Juventus contract when he decided to retire. Should the penalty need to be paid, it remains to be seen whether Szczesny will cover it himself or whether Barcelona will step in to cover the costs.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

    Even if Szczesny moves to the Catalan club, he will likely take time to regain peak match fitness after spending months away from the professional scene. Until then, they have to depend on Inaki Pena between the sticks with a fixture against Getafe on Wednesday next on the list.