Barcelona outline plan to resolve Marc-Andre Ter Stegen future – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona saw a major exit this January in the form of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, their club captain, who left to join Girona on loan until the end of the season. The German had initially shown reluctance to leave.

However, once he realised he was not going to get any minutes ahead of Joan Garcia, Ter Stegen chose to move across the city to Girona, where he is expected to start as he prepares for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Despite the loan, Barcelona have not closed any doors regarding Ter Stegen’s future. According to SPORT, the club does not see him as part of its long-term project, but all scenarios remain open. The goalkeeper remains under contract until 2028 and earns one of the highest salaries in the squad, making his situation a delicate one from both a sporting and financial perspective.

Barcelona’s internal expectation is that a strong loan spell at Girona, combined with a solid World Cup campaign, could increase Ter Stegen’s market value. The club believes this could generate interest from European sides or even clubs outside the continent, including Saudi Arabia, allowing them to recoup a fee from July onwards.

Even if concrete offers do not materialise, Barcelona are open to facilitating his departure in other ways. Granting Ter Stegen a free transfer is not ruled out, provided the club can save a significant portion of his salary through to 2028. From Barcelona’s point of view, easing the wage bill would be more important than securing a transfer fee.

That said, the final decision rests firmly with the player. Ter Stegen is not particularly inclined to give up his contract, and if he chooses to stay for personal or professional reasons, the club will respect that choice. However, they are clear that there will be no sporting change in hierarchy. Joan Garcia is considered the undisputed number one, and that stance will not be revisited.

Next summer could see an overbooking of goalkeepers at Barcelona. Inaki Pena, Aron Yaakobishvili, and Ander Astralaga are all having excellent loan spells and are expected to return. Wojciech Szczesny also has an optional extra year on his contract. It is going to be quite the headache to prune this list, and we will have to wait and see how things play out.