Barcelona superstar not considering summer exit despite transfer rumors for 3 key reasons: Reports
Marc-André ter Stegen is reportedly not considering leaving Barcelona even after the Catalan club completed the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from cross-town rivals RCD Espanyol. The German shot-stopper joined La Blaugrana in 2014 and has been the team’s No. 1 in LaLiga for the past nine seasons.
At the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Ter Stegen retained his position as Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper. However, an injury sustained during a league match against Villarreal in September led to second-choice goalie Inaki Pena stepping in. Pena’s hopes of keeping the gloves during Ter Stegen's absence were dashed when former Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came out of retirement.
Ter Stegen recovered before the end of the season and returned to action in a league match against Real Valladolid in May. However, he made only one start in Barcelona's final five matches of the 2024-25 campaign, with reports suggesting he had fallen out with manager Hansi Flick following his return from injury.
Meanwhile, Barcelona had been monitoring Joan Garcia since the turn of the year following his impressive performances in goal with Espanyol. It was said that Garcia’s arrival at Camp Nou could result in Ter Stegen’s departure, as the club were considering handing a new deal to Szczesny, who was expected to be his backup.
A few hours ago, Barcelona made their first summer signing, activating the €25 million release clause on Joan Garcia’s contract with Espanyol. That added further uncertainty to the future of the club’s chief captain, Ter Stegen, with reports claiming Barca are open to selling him this summer. However, the 33-year-old is reportedly not thinking of leaving the club despite the current circumstances.
According to ESPN, there are three significant reasons why Ter Stegen has no intention to leave Barcelona this summer. The first and primary motive is that the German is confident he can still deliver as the club’s No. 1, believing it is the best place to be to secure his spot in the German national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The second reason is more personal and relates to his family. He is happy in Barcelona and wants to be close to his children after separating from his long-term partner and recently moving into a new home. Lastly, he is contracted with the club until 2028. He wants see out his contract rather than leave early, fully aware that Barcelona would struggle to pay out the remaining value if they let him go for free before it expires.
Ter Stegen signed his latest contract extension in 2023. As part of the deal, president Joan Laporta agreed to further extend previous deferments on salary payments to help mitigate the club’s financial constraints. Ter Stegen earns about €10 million after tax every year. Since there are three years left on his contract, that adds up to around €30 million in total. That’s a lot of money to pay him just to leave.
“There's no situation that needs to be discussed” – Ter Stegen says he’s not leaving Barcelona this summer
Before Barca signed Joan Garcia, Ter Stegen had made his stance regarding his future at the club clear. In a recent press conference, the former Borussia Monchengladbach goalie assured the public that he will remain at the Catalan club next year.
He said (via GOAL):
"I know I'll be at Barcelona next year. I'm extremely excited about the coming season because we have a great team that's young, dynamic, and hungry. There's no situation that needs to be discussed."
He added that he is ready to compete should the club sign a new goalkeeper, saying:
“If I remember correctly, and if nothing new has happened in the last few hours, we only have two goalkeepers for next season, Inaki [Pena] and I. So basically, the competition is between us. And whoever comes in, no matter what, will have to face this competition.”
To date, Ter Stegen has made 422 appearances for La Blaugrana across competitions.
