Barcelona goalie Marc-Andre ter Stegen has picked Real Madrid target Alisson Becker among the top five goalkeepers in the world.
Barcelona star Marc-Andre ter Stegen has named AS Roma’s Brazilian international Alisson Becker, who happens to be a transfer target for Real Madrid, as one of the five best goalkeepers in the world currently, as per a report from Sport.
The German international was speaking to the media ahead of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League second leg quarterfinal clash against Roma when he was asked who he thought were the five best goalkeepers in the game at the moment.
And Ter Stegen, modestly did not take his own name, but picked his opposite number for Tuesday night’s encounter in the list, along with another Real Madrid target, David De Gea (Manchester United), while Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) and Ederson (Manchester City) also made the list.
“There are many goalkeepers who make the difference,” said the former Borussia Moenchengladbach man at the press conference ahead of the Roma clash, before naming his top five custodians. “I can’t say who is the best, each one has their own qualities,” he added further.
There was no place on Ter Stegen’s list for Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas while Jan Oblak also did not make the cut.
Alisson has been enjoying a fine season with Roma which has seen him attract a lot of interest from across Europe. The Brazilian international has been reportedly courted by Liverpool in recent months.
But it is Real Madrid who are understood to be showing the strongest interest in landing the 25-year old. The reigning European champions Real Madrid are not entirely convinced with current first-choice Keylor Navas, despite the Costa Rican international impressing between the sticks. And second-choice shot stopper Kiko Casilla is not rated enough by manager Zinedine Zidane for him to take over the mantle of the No.1.
Los Merengues have reportedly given up on their long-drawn pursuit of Manchester United star David De Gea, amid reports that the Spaniard is set to sign a new contract worth £350,000-a-week with the Premier League giants.
And as a result, they seem to have narrowed down on Alisson as their top transfer target for the summer transfer window. The 25-year old has made 40 appearances for the Giallorossi in the 2017/18 season, conceding 38 times in all competitions and managing a total of 17 shut-outs.
The 23-time capped Brazilian international joined Roma in the summer of 2016 from Internacional and has a contract till 2021. However, it seems very likely that he is on the verge of securing a big move to the Spanish capital in the summer.
