The situation at Barcelona regarding their next goalkeeper is quite tricky, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for a replacement already, moving on to Samir Handanovic of Inter, one of the bright spots in a rather depressing season for the Nerazzurri.
At the moment, Victor Valdes isn’t going anywhere, but Barcelona seem quite persistent in the quest to find his replacement. They’ve already taken an interest inĀ Ter Stegen of Borussia Monchengladbach, maybe the best young goalkeeper in Europe at the moment, while other rumors are connecting them to Pepe Reina from Liverpool, mostly for his ability to play the sweeper-keeper, just like Valdes, and not his shot stopping abilities.
By maybe this season will show a different kind of Barcelona, with a little adaptation in the way they play defense after too many failed assignments and awkward moments over the last couple of seasons. According to theĀ Gazetta dello Sport,Ā Barcelona have offeredĀ ā¬23 million for the Slovenian goalkeeper, only to be rejected by Inter who are asking forĀ ā¬30 million in order to let him go.
Handanovic is a fantastic shot stopper but is a bit less consistent when it comes to his handling with his feet and the way he attacks crosses and corners. He arrived to Inter from Udinese in 2012, pushing Julio Cesar aside and eventually off the team, as Inter paidĀ ā¬11 million. With Moratti not in the mood to spend too much money in recent years, selling Handanovic for “cheap” and then go out look for another expensive keeper isn’t one of the things he’s looking forward to this summer.
If Barcelona do pay theĀ ā¬30 million Inter are asking for, this will make Handanovic the second most expensive goalkeeper in history, following Gianluigi Buffon, signed by Juventus in 2001. At 28, there are quite a few more years for Handanovic to play to his best ability at goal, and although he’s usually regarded as one of the top 10 goalkeepers in Europe, not having any Champions League experience and not being the typical Barcelona keeper might make him a bit of an odd fit for the team.