Manchester City are reportedly on the verge of signing Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo for €25 million (£21.7 million) in a move that further threatens Joe Hart’s long-term future at the Etihad Stadium.
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Although he featured for Barca in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla, the Chilean is aware the Blaugrana see Marc-Andre ter Stegen as their best bet for the future and it would be far more hard for him to maintain his place in boss Luis Enrique’s starting line-up this term.
“We travelled with young guys (Angus Gunn, Tosin Adarabioyo and Angel Tasende) who may stay out of the selection, and I prefer that to be the young guys than Yaya Toure”.
Asked about the goalkeeping dilemma at Barca with both Bravo and the 24-year-old Ter Stegen eager to be Luis Enrique’s first-choice, Mascherano said: “Both of them are great goalkeepers”. “The ideal thing for us is to have both players continue”.
Bravo, who joined Barca from Real Sociedad two years ago, is under contract with the La Liga champions until June 2018. “But I wasn’t sure he was going to play so I prefer to leave him there, training well in Manchester and looking forward to the next game”.
According to MailOnline’s Simon Jones, the UEFA Champions League and double La Liga victor will pen a four-year deal with City, but Barca are not prepared to let him go until they can bring in a replacement. “I had doubts on whether I could still play in such a demanding club as Barcelona is”.
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“I felt it was the right time for me to move and to make progress in my career, come and learn off the best, and it’s a new exciting challenge for me and for everyone. I think I can still help the club”.
