Ter Stegen’s injury forces Barcelona to rethink summer plans with impact on salary cap | OneFootball

Barcelona could be forced into an unexpected rethink of their sporting and financial planning after fresh concerns emerged around the future of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. 

According to a report from SPORT, the German goalkeeper’s recent injury has complicated what was already a delicate situation for all parties involved.

Ter Stegen, who is currently on loan at Girona, has suffered a serious setback that is expected to rule him out for between three and four months. 

That timeline alone has been enough to disrupt Barcelona’s roadmap for the summer, as the club was not counting on the goalkeeper as part of their long-term plans.

What’s the story?

Barcelona’s idea was for Ter Stegen to regain rhythm and visibility at Girona, perform consistently, and use that momentum to re-enter the market ahead of next season. 

The club believed this scenario would allow the goalkeeper to attract interest from top-level teams, while also putting himself in a strong position ahead of the upcoming World Cup with the German national team.

From a financial perspective, the plan made sense. Ter Stegen has one of the highest salaries in the squad and a contract running until 2028. 

Barcelona were even open to facilitating a free transfer, provided a suitable club was willing to take on his full wages. 

Ter Stegen could be out for a long time. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

That solution would have created a valuable salary margin and eased next season’s salary cap calculations.

Now, with Ter Stegen sidelined for months, Barcelona fear it will be difficult for him to generate meaningful offers in the short term. 

So what now?

For now, the club’s position is to fully support the goalkeeper during his recovery. 

Discussions about his future have been placed on hold until he is medically cleared and able to return to competitive action. 

Terminating his contract has been ruled out internally, as it would offer no financial benefit to Barcelona.

Looking ahead, it is increasingly likely that Ter Stegen will at least report for pre-season with Barcelona. 

While his role has changed after Joan Garcia’s signing, continuity is not entirely off the table. 

This is because the German has already shown acceptance of a secondary role and has consistently expressed his desire to remain in Barcelona.