Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called off the Reds’ pursuit of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, according to Sport in Spain.
The Reds boss has become increasingly frustrated with Barcelona’s unwillingness to sell the 23 year old and the demand that any club must meet the exorbitant €80million buyout clause in the German’s contract.
Liverpool will now look elsewhere, according to the Spanish newspaper, and rather than looking for a replacement for current no.1 Simon Mignolet as ter Stegen would have been, they are now looking for an improvement on a substitute keeper to compete with the Belgian.
Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn has been widely tipped as the alternative to ter Stegen, and would cost around €7million, according to Sport, which they believe is a much more affordable and likely target for the Merseyside club.
Ter Stegen is rumoured to be unhappy at Barcelona with 33 year old Claudio Bravo being picked by manager Luis Enrique ahead of him for league matches. He has appeared just 4 times in the league this campaign compared to making 10 appearances in the Champions League where he is seen as the first choice.
