Ter Stegen: I want to stay at Barcelona

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen says he is happy to stay at Camp Nou, despite having courted speculation over a move at the end of the season.

The Germany international claimed he could be forced to consider a transfer if Barca could not guarantee him regular first-team football, with Claudio Bravo the preferred choice of head coach Luis Enrique in Liga matches.

Liverpool and Manchester City have both been linked with a bid for the player, though last month he denied reports that claimed a deal was in place for him to move to the Etihad Stadium.

And the 24-year-old has now indicated he could well commit his long-term future to Barca, stating that a competition for places is healthy for the squad as a whole.

“I’m very happy here and I want to stay here, with the life I have,” he told the club’s TV channel. “It’s a lovely place to live.

“You can never relax and you always have to give everything. Both myself and Claudio and Jordi [Masip] want to play and we work week after week to do so.

“I think that this idea is good for the team, too, because we’re always ready.”

Ter Stegen replaced the injured Bravo late on in the 2-0 win over Real Betis last week, meaning he is likely to start Sunday’s derby with Espanyol and the final Liga game of the season against Granada on May 15, while he also is expected to play in the Copa del Rey final.

“We go on with strength. The team is in good condition, we have open doors to both titles,” he said.

“I know what I can do and what the team can do. We train every day to be in the situation we’re in. It’s in our hands.

“With our fans behind us, supporting us, we’re stronger. Atletico and Real Madrid are pushing from below and they’ll go for the title until the end, but we have to look at our own path.

“There was a time when we had nine points more than the others, but that’s life, that’s football, you can’t relax. We are still in a very good way. We have two matches more and every possibility to win the league.”