The relationship between Marc-André ter Stegen and FC Barcelona is going through a very delicate moment. This Tuesday, the 33-year-old goalkeeper will travel to France to address his back issues at the Sports Clinic Bordeaux Merignac in Bordeaux.
Meanwhile, his future remains in the 'air', knowing he has been ruled out by Hansi Flick and with the Barça board very upset after the statement issued by the goalkeeper, anticipating a recovery time of three months without consulting the club's doctors.
This is the relationship between Ter Stegen and Barça
Ter Stegen's reason for taking this stance relates to feeling marginalized and betrayed by Barça. The '1' returned in April hoping to regain his starting position and now finds himself on the way out, a couple of years after accepting a contract extension until 2028 with a deferral of most of his salary for the last three years that he has yet to receive.
The club, for its part, understands 'Matts' frustration, but does not agree with his methods. The goalkeeper has avoided speaking with the board to find a satisfactory solution for both parties, and his relationship with Flick has also deteriorated since the final stretch of the 24/25 season, when the captain was upset with the coach for not returning his starting position in La Liga and Champions.
Beyond that, the captain assured in a brief chat with 'SPORT' ahead of his trip to Bordeaux that "the relationship with the club is good, always good, intact." The number 1 was also blunt about his physical condition. "If you have to have surgery, I think something's wrong, right?" commented the Mönchengladbach native.
How long will Ter Stegen really be out?
In 2023, the goalkeeper underwent a similar surgical procedure, treated by the same medical team. He was out for 86 days, from mid-November until the second week of February 2024. In total, he missed 17 matches, a couple of them in the Champions League and both in the Supercopa de España.
He also could not play the first three rounds of the Copa del Rey nor 10 league matches, with Iñaki Peña as his substitute. The scenario repeated itself last season, but then his recovery time was much longer.
Marc-André suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee during a match against Villarreal at the end of September 2024 and was only able to return at the end of April this year, totaling 214 days on the sidelines.
Considering the history of his previous lumbar injury, 'Matts' preempted Barça by anticipating that his return to action would occur within three months, that is, by the end of October. The club, however, is more conservative and points to a recovery time of 4 months or more.
The Barça statement will not specify Ter Stegen's recovery time
Since the captain did not require any club representative to accompany him to Bordeaux during the surgery and to avoid further tension with a medical report that contradicts the recovery time estimated by the goalkeeper, it is likely that Barcelona will limit itself to announcing that "the evolution will determine the availability" of the '1' after officially announcing his surgery.
For the azulgrana team, his prolonged absence partially resolves the mess regarding Ter Stegen's future. A recovery of four months or more would be sufficient to save 80% of the German's salary, with the extra possibility of receive compensation from FIFA for the injury.
Understanding that both Joan García (signed) as Wojciech Szczesny (renewed) are still waiting for their registration, this step was key to acquiring the federative licenses of both. However, this will not happen and Marc-André will continue to occupy his place in the culé squad.
Barça runs out of time and options to resolve the captain's exit
In addition to this, any possibility of leaving, via loan or transfer, is ruled out due to his injury. Now, the parties are obliged to meet as soon as possible to discuss the terms of his exit in the winter market, as one thing is clear: the '1' of Barça in the 25/26 season will be García and 'Tek' will be his substitute.
Hansi Flick made this clear from the start of the preseason and in the first friendly of the Asian tour. The coach, however, has handled the controversy discreetly, leaving everything in the hands of the club and Ter Stegen himself. The German has three years left on his contract and about 42 million gross in salary to collect.
Therefore, Barça is obliged to resolve this matter as soon as possible, a significant obstacle to return to the 1:1 rule and free up salary margin to register their reinforcements for the next season. Will the player from Mönchengladbach accept an amicable exit?
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