After a long wait, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick met with goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for a frank discussion about the German international’s future at Camp Nou. During the conversation, the coach outlined his plans for the new season without any pretense.
Barcelona signed Juan Garcia from Espanyol for €25 million at the start of the transfer window, and then extended Szczesny’s contract until 2027. This means they now have three top-class goalkeepers in a position where only one other player can play.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Flick and Ter Stegen met in the past few hours, during which the German coach informed him that he was not in his plans for next season, and that Garcia would be the first-choice goalkeeper and Szczesny the second-choice goalkeeper.
Despite Ter Stegen’s shock at how things have gone against him in recent months at Barcelona, and his subsequent attempts to ruin his season before it even began, he remains determined to stay with Barcelona and fight for his position.
This comes at a time when it was reported that Galatasaray still hopes to sign the 33-year-old to replace the famous Uruguayan goalkeeper Musolera. However, Ter Stegen rejected the first offer, as well as other offers from Chelsea and Inter, insisting on continuing with Barça.
Ter Stegen’s decision to stay with Barcelona is due to two factors: the first is the way he has been harassed by the club since last May, and the second is that his salary is so high that no other club can afford it. He also stipulated that he would receive the full balance of his contract (over €40 million) as a condition for agreeing to terminate the contract and leave Camp Nou immediately.
Flick and Barcelona remain firmly convinced that Ter Stegen will eventually give in to the situation and leave, so as not to jeopardize his hopes of participating in the 2026 World Cup with the German national team.
