Former Barcelona director reveals he pushed the plan to sign Real Madrid legend – ‘They stopped us’ | OneFootball

A fascinating revelation has emerged from Barcelona’s former sporting office, offering a glimpse into a transfer story that could have dramatically altered the club’s goalkeeping history. 

Former Barça sporting vice-president Javier Bordas has confirmed that Real Madrid legend Thibaut Courtois was extremely close to joining Barcelona in the same summer Marc-Andre ter Stegen arrived at Camp Nou.

During that period, Courtois was still on loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, already earning widespread praise in La Liga. 

As his performances grew more impressive, Barcelona’s scouting department began to take note. 

They compiled detailed assessments describing him as an unusually mature young goalkeeper with an imposing frame, excellent command of his area, and strong potential to become world-class. 

With a possible transfer valued at just €3 million, the move appeared both feasible and strategically smart.

What made Barcelona look away?

Bordas has now explained how the idea progressed internally. When Courtois’ level at Atletico became impossible to ignore, the Belgian’s name resurfaced in the hallways of Camp Nou. 

Bordas decided to take the opportunity directly to the club president at the time. Introducing the situation, he recalled the moment clearly.

Thibaut Courtois could have joined Barcelona instead of Real Madrid. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“I proposed it to Sandro Rosell and he said, ‘Well, see if it can be done…’. Then, when he took it to the Technical Secretariat, they stopped us,” he explained in an interview with SPORT.

Bordas went on to add further context about how seriously Barcelona viewed the option. 

According to him, scouts and executives within the club felt that Courtois was a strong candidate, even though plans were already in motion for Ter Stegen.

“There were good reports on Courtois at the Barça offices. He knew the league, and some executives thought it would be a good idea to sign him even though they already had Ter Stegen lined up,” he said.

However, by then, Andoni Zubizarreta had already committed to bringing Ter Stegen to Barcelona, and the club also pushed forward with the signing of Claudio Bravo. 

“My case was a bit atypical. I make the proposal, but then the financial and technical aspects come into play. In the end, they decide whether it can be done or not.”

Ultimately, Barça chose to build around Ter Stegen due to his personality, reflexes, and confident distribution. 

Bravo would later become the starter in La Liga, while Ter Stegen took charge in the Champions League.