Barcelona ready to sign La Liga star after as they look to bolster squad - Reports
According to a recent report, Barcelona are looking to bring in reinforcements to improve their defence, particularly in the goalkeeping position. While Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will continue to don the No.1 jersey at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana are looking to add Rayo Vallecano's Stole Dimitrievski as his deputy.
Barcelona seem to have already started preparing for the 2024-25 season, with their chances of winning silverware this term steadily diminishing with time. They are mathematically still alive in La Liga while they are set to host Napoli in the return fixture of the round-of-16 stage of the Champions League.
Apart from inconsistent on-pitch performances, the factor that hurt Barca the most this season was injuries to several of their first-team players. German shot-stopper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen recently spent a whopping 85 days on the treatment table after sustaining an injury to his back in November of 2023.
Consequently, his deputy, Inaki Pena, was instantly thrust into the first-choice role in order to cover for the 31-year-old. While Pena displayed decent form at times in between the sticks, his presence was not at all convincing for the Blaugrana. In the 17 appearances he made in the absence of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, the 24-year-old Spaniard ended up conceding a whopping 32 goals.
As a result, a report by Mundo Deportivo suggests that Barcelona are considering making a move for Rayo Vallecano's Stole Dimitrievski. Despite playing for a mid-table side, the 30-year-old goalkeeper has managed to keep a decent nine clean sheets in 26 league appearances this term.
Moreover, his contract with the Madrid-based club is set to expire at the end of this season, enabling the reigning Spanish champions to secure his signing for free. The Macedonia international was previously touted for a move to Camp Nou as a replacement for the departing Neto, but no deal could materialize in the end.
Barcelona rejected massive bids of up to €90m for their star player in January - Reports
Despite being in a financial mess for some years now, the five-time UCL winners have been able to retain most of the talent that comes out of their esteemed academy. Barcelona proved it again by bluntly rejecting two mouth-watering bids from Bayern Munich for Ronald Araujo in the winter transfer window just gone by.
Having already offered €70m for the Uruguayan, the Bavarians improved upon their offer to poach Araujo away, submitting a massive bid of €80m (plus €10m in add-ons) for his services. However, Xavi and the other Blaugrana officials responded in an unfazed manner, turning down both offers immediately, as per Mundo Deportivo.
The 24-year-old centre-back is already a crucial figure at Camp Nou, having already racked up 141 appearances for Barcelona since his debut. Araujo is also the third-choice captain for Barca, behind Sergi Roberto and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, but a step ahead of Frenkie De Jong.