A remarkable revelation has come from Barcelona’s former sporting office, providing insight into a transfer narrative that may have drastically changed the club’s goalkeeping history.
Former Barcelona sporting vice-president Javier Bordas has stated that Real Madrid great Thibaut Courtois was on the verge of joining Barcelona in the same summer that Marc-Andre ter Stegen joined at Camp Nou.
During that time, Courtois was still on loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, and he was already receiving high plaudits in La Liga.
As his performances improved, Barcelona’s scouting staff began to take notice.
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They collected extensive evaluations that described him as an extraordinarily mature young goalkeeper with an imposing frame, superb command of his area, and a high potential to become world-class.
With a prospective transfer value of only €3 million, the move sounded both feasible and tactically wise.
What made Barcelona look away?
Bordas has now detailed how the concept developed inside. When Courtois’ performance at Atletico became unmistakable, the Belgian’s name reappeared in the Camp Nou halls.
Bordas decided to take advantage of the occasion and approach the club president at the moment. When introducing the situation, he vividly remembered the incident.
“I proposed it to Sandro Rosell, who said, ‘Well, see if it can be done…’.” Then, when he took it to the Technical Secretariat, they stopped us,” he told SPORT.
Bordas went on to explain how seriously Barcelona took the option.
According to him, scouts and club management believed Courtois was a strong prospect, despite the fact that plans for Ter Stegen were already underway.
“There were positive reports about Courtois at the Barcelona offices. “He knew the league, and some executives thought it would be a good idea to sign him despite the fact that they already had Ter Stegen lined up,” he explained.
However, by that point, Andoni Zubizarreta had already committed to bringing Ter Stegen to Barcelona, and the club had already moved forward with the signing of Claudio Bravo.
“My case was a bit unusual. I propose the proposal, but then the financial and technological details come into play. Finally, they decide whether or not it can be done.’
Ultimately, Barça chose to build around Ter Stegen because of his mentality, reflexes, and confident delivery.
Bravo would later start in La Liga, while Ter Stegen took care of the Champions League.
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