There are decisions that are difficult to make, but sometimes they are the only option. At Barça, they have seized the opportunity presented by Joan García, and his arrival could cause a real revolution in the Barça team. The Azulgrana squad currently has two goalkeepers on its roster for next season, Ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña, with another about to renew, Szczesny, while the Espanyol goalkeeper is about to sign his contract. This overbooking means there are too many players and difficult decisions will have to be made.
Joan García deal closed and imminent
After days of speculation, Joan García has made a decision, which will not have been easy given his strong ties to Espanyol, and will be a FC Barcelona player. The goalkeeper will sign a five-year contract with a gross salary of around $6 million, pending the payment of the $25 million release clause to LaLiga. Signing a goalkeeper was not a priority for Barcelona, but given the player’s willingness and the fierce competition, Joan Laporta wanted to move quickly and secure a young goalkeeper who has already demonstrated his undeniable talent and has a promising future.
Ter Stegen’s situation becomes complicated
The signing of Joan García, added to the renewal of Szczesny, which, although not official, has been considered a done deal for days, leaves Ter Stegen in an uncomfortable position with an uncertain future. The German goalkeeper has perhaps paid the price for the serious injury that has kept him out of action for most of the season, but it has allowed Tek to win the affection of Barcelona fans and for the club to see that it can survive without its captain. In recent weeks, Hansi Flick had already put the Polish player ahead of Marc-André, now that he has recovered.
A few months ago, it seemed unthinkable that Ter Stegen would leave, but the situation has changed and Laporta is opening the door to a player who is now focused on his national team, which lost to Portugal in the Nations League last night in a match in which he made several good saves and spoke about his future. “No one has said anything to me about this, but I’m not worried. I know I’ll be in Barcelona next year,“ he told ZDF.
Ter Stegen, adamant about his future
A few days ago, he was questioned about the issue at a press conference and was once again adamant. ”No one at the club has spoken to me about this possibility. I’m not worried at all because I know that next season I’ll be at Barcelona,” said the German goalkeeper during his appearance before the media. Barça is one of the biggest clubs in the world and competition is normal. For me, the situation hasn’t changed at all,“ he said.
”I’m really looking forward to next season. I think we can achieve a lot because we’ve learned and the team has more experience. If a new player comes in, he’ll face the same competition; that’s the nature of playing for a big club. We’ve always had strong goalkeepers,” he concluded.
The player is not willing to leave and has a contract in place. Specifically, until June 30, 2028, so with the stance he has taken in recent days, if the club wants to terminate his contract, he is not likely to forgive a single cent.
A juicy offer for the German
Against this backdrop, an option has emerged for the player’s departure. Al Hilal, Real Madrid’s rival in the Club World Cup, wants to sign a top goalkeeper and sees the Blaugrana as a market opportunity given his current situation. Al-Hilal would pay a transfer fee that would be very interesting to Barça, but not so much to the player, who still wants to play at the highest level. A soap opera is in store this summer.