One less conflict for Hansi Flick

BarcelonaMichel Sánchez was key for Marc-André ter Stegen would go to Girona in January. It was well known that Barça was looking for an exit for him and that the goalkeeper did not see himself leaving on loan. But the coach, through the sporting director Quique Cárcel, insisted until he received the go-ahead. It is an unknown what would have happened if Ter Stegen had not been injured and had been able to complete the second half of the season with the Montilivi team. Perhaps they would not have been relegated. The only thing known for sure is that Michel has not lost confidence in the Mönchengladbach goalkeeper, to the point that he has asked for him again to join Ajax, a club he has been coaching since this summer.

Ter Stegen is not in Hansi Flick's plans. The German coach does not doubt the goalkeeper's quality, but considers the position well covered with Joan Garcia as the starter and Wojciech Szczesny as the backup. The goalkeeper from Sallent, signed in 2025 from Espanyol, lived up to expectations, with a season in which Barça won two titles and he was the Zamora Trophy winner in the League. And regarding the Pole, despite already being 36 years old, he understands his role as a backup and fits in well. This last condition is something Ter Stegen does not tolerate as well.

Beyond the possible reservations about whether Ter Stegen is fully recovered or not –has suffered two back injuries, one to the knee and a muscle tear–, there is no doubt that he has more quality than Tek. But Flick, who knows a lot about group management, weighs quality against coexistence, and considers that stability in the locker room is more worthwhile. A thesis shared by the sporting management headed by Deco.

Besides convincing Ter Stegen, who initially preferred to stay in Barcelona for family reasons, the problem with his departure is the same as always: his salary. The goalkeeper earns more than 15 million euros gross per season, a figure unattainable for an Ajax where the highest earner earns around 5 million euros. Therefore, just as it happened with Girona, Barça will pay the main part of his salary. The blaugrana club avoids giving figures, but sources consulted indicate that Ajax would pay around 3 million. The rest would come from the Camp Nou coffers. Within the multi-millionaire football industry, it's not a lot of money, but at the Camp Nou offices, they look at it with a glass half full and think that it is still a small saving and a little more room in the famous fair play financial regulations, which this summer is more favorable to their interests.

Once Ter Stegen has agreed to go out on loan again, the main lines of the operation have been agreed for days and now only the fine print needs to be finalized, which includes the final distribution of salary, a task in which the interlocutor is former Barcelona player Jordi Cruyff, current sporting director of Ajax. In addition to the relevant medical examination, of course. Barça's objective is to be able to close the loan this very week to prevent Ter Stegen from having to report for training on Monday, July 13, which is when preseason begins. In addition, Michel also wants the goalkeeper to join Ajax as soon as possible to be able to prepare for the season with them. In their case, the Dutch started on June 29 and have already played their first friendly of the summer.

Ter Stegen's contract ends in 2028, but with this loan, which could be extended for an additional season, it seems difficult for him to wear the Barça jersey again. The future lies with Joan Garcia as the starter, and the intention is to look for a future substitute goalkeeper, as Szczesny's contract ends in 2027 and the forecast is that he will not renew beyond that date.

Diego Kochen loses points as a future goalkeeper

A few months ago, one of the names that was strongly rumored was that of Diego Kochen, an American goalkeeper who plays for the Barça reserve team. In fact, last season he was already included in some first-team call-ups. But his candidacy has lost some points and at Barça they consider that the best option for the 20-year-old footballer is a loan.

Thus, last week his departure to Lyngby Boldklub, from the First Division of Denmark, was finalized. The club reserves a purchase option for 1.5 million euros. In return, Barça would receive 40% of a future sale, a clause that has become fashionable lately: the buyer, generally a smaller club, can sign a promising footballer at a lower price. And if he increases in value, the club that trained him obtains compensation in the future.

Kochen, who was born in Miami, signed for the Barça reserve team in 2019 when he was a child. In 2024, during the summer North American tour, he debuted in a Barça - América de México match, although he has not yet played any official game with the first team. For now, he has a contract until 2028. This past season he played 20 games with Barça Atlètic, conceded 23 goals and kept a clean sheet on seven occasions. His departure is added to that of Ander Astralaga, who last season played on loan at Granada and who said goodbye to Barça after his contract expired on June 30.