The war between Ter Stegen and FC Barcelona seems to be stuck in the trenches. From Barcelona, there are signs of a summit between the parties to try to reach an agreement. The goalkeeper's anger with the club is both sporting and financial.
After more than a decade at the club, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has gone from being an indispensable part of FC Barcelona's plans to a thorn in the side, both on and off the pitch, with both aspects feeding into each other due to the German's performance (and physical problems) in recent years and the large contract that ties him to the club.
The situation with the German goalkeeper, which had already raised fears of the worst since his return to the team at the end of last season, finally came to a head with the signing of Joan Garcia. This arrival, with an eye on both the present and the future, sent a clear message to Ter Stegen: he was no longer needed.
The club had in mind to let the former Borussia Monchengladbach player go, but his high salary complicated a departure that began to become impossible after the German's back operation. The surgery, to make matters worse, has ended up sparking a war between the parties, with Ter Stegen hinting that his time off will not be long and refusing to sign Barca's medical report, thus preventing his registration from being used to sign new players.
Furthermore, sources in Barcelona suggest that the goalkeeper's anger with the club also has a financial aspect, as the German lost out on €3.5 million by not being selected for the last match of last season's La Liga in Bilbao. Had he played, Ter Stegen would have participated in 60% of the matches in which he was available and would have automatically earned that amount.
Although the club believes that this will not ultimately be necessary, it does complicate the short-term outlook for a club that continues to move in the transfer market. With the threat of disciplinary action against the player, the Catalan press, led by 'Sport' and 'Mundo Deportivo', are reporting that a meeting may take place on Wednesday with president Joan Laporta to resolve an issue that appears difficult to settle.