"He won't forgive a single penny": well-founded predictions about the Ter Stegen case

BarcelonaMarc-André ter Stegen is the hottest potato Summer training sessions at Barça. Hansi Flick's first training sessions confirm this. The German goalkeeper holds the key to the club's execution of the plan devised by sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza. Deco, and validated by the president, Joan Laporta. Without his departure after more than a decade of service, it is quite complicated, as official sources at the institution acknowledge, to think not only about signing the left winger that the squad so desperately needs, but also about registering the two goalkeepers the coaches are counting on for next season in La Liga: the brand new Joan Garcia, recruited from Nyz, has signed a new contract.

In the first training sessions at Sant Joan Despí, Ter Stegen cited discomfort in his lower back as a reason to stay in the gym. He does not share routines on the pitch with Garcia and Szczęsny, nor with Iñaki Peña, who remains with the team while waiting to find a new destination. He prefers to work alone due to problems that on Monday caught the club's doctors and recovery specialists off guard, who were unaware that the captain had them: he had not communicated them clearly days in advance. His teammates were also unaware of the incident. In fact, some interpret it as part of a strategy within his ongoing fight for his future. "He says his back hurts, but at the same time, he's not a fool. He doesn't want to take risks, knowing his current situation," a source who shares time and space with the German at Barça told ARA.

The same source confirms to this newspaper that Ter Stegen, who pushed to reach the end of the season with Barça and also in the Nations League with Germany, is considering surgery to end the back pain he's been suffering in recent weeks. Some teammates believe he will do so "99%," which would facilitate Joan Garcia's registration, just as Olmo was able to register last summer thanks to Andreas Christensen's injury. If that happens, however, the club would only prolong the problem for a few more months, as Ter Stegen would continue to benefit from his contract and be in control of his professional destiny.

Ter Stegen: leaving yes, but more in winter than now

"He's hurting after so many years and he won't make it easy, because he has the upper hand," says another colleague, who predicts that Ter Stegen will stay on despite the pressure and will only leave the club "if he sees he's not playing in the middle of next season." Following that logic, the winter transfer market would be a wild card for the German. Once recovered, it would allow him to find an outlet—probably on loan—in case of inactivity, so he can be in shape for the 2026 World Cup, the first in which he has a chance of starting after Manuel Neuer's retirement.

Aside from those currently involved, there are dozens of people who have dealt with Ter Stegen since he arrived in Barcelona from Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2014. One of them, who has played a key role in the Barça team for several seasons, assures ARA that the German is a man "with a lot." The same person points out that he has another three years on his contract and that "he won't forgive a single cent," considering the climate surrounding him. It should not be overlooked that just two summers ago, the captain signed a contract extension until 2028, which helped to spread out the deferrals agreed upon with Josep Maria Bartomeu's board of directors in the midst of the COVID crisis. Sources familiar with the most recent negotiations tell ARA that the total amount for the three remaining seasons does not exceed 40 million euros gross.

Another important figure in contemporary Barça – and who no longer works – considers that the club is getting along "terribly" with Ter Stegen and that the goalkeeper "is not to blame" for the problems at the club. fair play for registering Garcia. "We have to think about that first!" exclaims this source, who predicts the German will "stay" with the team. Until further notice, that is the player's intention, and while he has unsettled teammates and coaches with his back problems, he is willing to stay. For its part, the club, which recognizes that Ter Stegen must leave to balance the books and facilitate transfer transactions, does not currently plan to force any situation of ostracism, such as taking his number. In fact, it would now celebrate the captain's injury if it eliminates the uncertainty with the registration of Joan Garcia.