Ter Stegen’s situation at FC Barcelona continues to be a source of controversy. The player is clear that he wants to stay and that he will be able to compete for the starting spot, while the club has doubts about his knee and is betting on the Joan Garcia-Szczesny duo. Now it appears that to facilitate his departure, the Azulgrana team has made a decision that would speed up the process, but it will be useless if the player is not on board.
Barça is not clear about his performance
With the arrival of Joan Garcia, Barcelona is betting on a younger goalkeeper with great potential to take his place as first-choice keeper. Beyond the gamble on the Espanyol goalkeeper as a bargain signing, the club has doubts about how Ter Stegen can return from a very serious injury that will require him to get minutes under his belt to get back to his best.
The doubts, speculation about his future, and leaks from the club have not made the player happy, and he has already expressed on several occasions his desire to continue with the club and fulfill his contract, which runs until 2028. However, he will make his final decision after a conversation with Hansi Flick, which he hopes will be in person as soon as they return from vacation.
Barça’s decision to facilitate his departure
The Barça team seems clear that the best option is to let him go. This departure seems complicated, as he has a valid contract and they would depend on a transfer offer that satisfies all parties. In addition, the player’s salary would not be within the reach of any of the teams that have been mentioned as options for the experienced goalkeeper.
In this regard, AS reports that Ter Stegen has huge deferred payments pending that he will have to settle with the club, in addition to having three years left on his contract. The Catalan club has taken a key decision to facilitate the player’s departure by, according to the aforementioned source, not asking for any money for his transfer, but hopes that the goalkeeper will forgive a percentage of his severance pay. His market value has fallen to €12 million according to the specialist website Transfermarkt. He is 33 years old and, as we said, there are doubts about his physical condition, so it remains to be seen whether any interest materializes.
Ter Stegen recommended to City
Lothar Matthäus, winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1990, has spoken about the player and his future in statements to Sky Sport Germany, pointing out that he thinks what is happening with Ter Stegen “is unpleasant for him” and added that “I suppose he will leave Barcelona.” “He has come back in good shape after a long injury and has shown, especially in the Nations League against France, that he is still a world-class goalkeeper at 33,” Matthäus said.
The former player is clear that Barça are “within their rights to say that for the future they are betting on a younger goalkeeper who, moreover, may cost less in wages.” Matthäus also said that “I don’t know how Barça will act or whether Hansi Flick will be instructed to play the new goalkeeper,” and that this would be “a dangerous situation for Ter Stegen, as Julian Nagelsmann will not be able to back his decision to call him up if he is only on the bench at Barcelona.”
When asked about possible destinations for Ter Stegen, he said, “I don’t know what Manchester City are planning, but I don’t think they’re very happy with Ederson. I think Ter Stegen could definitely be a goalkeeper for the Citizens for the next three or four years.”