The Polish goalkeeper Szczesny is willing to come out of retirement to play for Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny, a Polish goalie, is ready to come out of retirement to help Barcelona, whose first-choice in goal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, is likely to be hurt for the rest of the season.

Ter Stegen, a German player, had surgery after he tore the patella tendon in his right knee during the weekend’s 5-1 win over Villarreal.

News sources say that Szczesny will soon arrive in Barcelona to have a checkup before signing a short-term deal.

Szczesny told the Spanish news outlet Sport on Thursday, “I have a lot of respect for Barcelona’s history. It is one of the best clubs in the world.”

“I understand the difficult situation that has arisen for them after Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury and I think it would be disrespectful of me not to consider this option.”

Wednesday, Barcelona’s manager Hansi Flick said that their 25-year-old backup goalkeeper Inaki Pena could replace Ter Stegen, but they also need someone with more experience.

“He’s 25 years old, but the other goalkeepers are very young.” That’s why we’re talking about it: we need more experience. We’ve talked about it a lot, and now we have to make a choice, Flick told reporters after Barcelona beat Getafe 1-0.

After ending his one-year contract with Juventus in August, Szczesny announced his retirement. He had joined Juventus in 2017 and had one year left on his deal.

Before retiring, Szczesny had played more than 250 times for Poland and had helped Juve win three league titles and three Italian cups.

With 21 points from seven games, Barcelona is four points ahead of second-placed Osasuna in La Liga. Their next game is on Saturday, when they travel to Osasuna.