Barcelona face difficult decision over Ter Stegen after Ajax loan

\n\nMark-Andre ter Stegen’s future remains unresolved, with Barcelona facing four possible routes when his loan spell at Ajax ends in June.

The Germany goalkeeper has enjoyed a strong season in the Netherlands and Ajax are understood to be very pleased with his performances. The arrangement has also proved financially manageable for the club, with Barcelona covering most of his salary.

Ter Stegen is due to return to Barcelona in June, leaving the club to decide how he fits into their plans for the 2027-28 season.

“We are still in November, so I cannot predict what will happen in the summer,” he told Sport Bild in an interview this week.

That uncertainty is understandable given the complexity of the situation. According to Marca, one of the main factors Barcelona must consider is that only one season remains on the goalkeeper’s contract.

His agreement with the club runs until June 2028, meaning the sporting department will need to make a firm decision.

Staying at Barcelona

Keeping Ter Stegen at Barcelona would be difficult because the club are expected to have two high-level goalkeepers available next season in Joan Garcia and Dominik Livakovic.

Wojciech Szczesny’s contract will expire and he is not expected to remain, while Joan Garcia is considered the clear first choice. If Ter Stegen stays, he would therefore be competing for a place rather than being the established number one.

At 34, Ter Stegen would not want to spend the season on the bench, whether at Barcelona or elsewhere. It is also not an attractive solution for the club.

Another loan

A straightforward new loan is regarded as an unlikely option. Barcelona would not want to send Ter Stegen elsewhere only for him to return in June 2028, when his contract expires.

The alternative would be to extend his deal before arranging another loan, but that would also make little sense. Barcelona do not want to renew the goalkeeper’s contract because of his exceptionally high salary. Even with a reduced figure, the cost would remain significant, particularly as he is not part of Hansi Flick’s plans in either the short or long term.

A permanent transfer

Selling Ter Stegen would be the ideal outcome for Barcelona. A transfer fee would provide income while also removing a substantial part of his salary from the club’s wage bill.

The difficulty is finding a club willing to pay a fee and take on his total remuneration, which is close to 20m euros. That appears unlikely, despite Barcelona’s strong desire to move him on.

Ending the contract

The most logical solution could therefore be to terminate the contract by agreement. Barcelona would have to negotiate with the goalkeeper’s representatives over how much of his remaining salary he would be prepared to waive.

It would follow the approach Joao Cancelo took to leave Al-Hilal and return to Camp Nou.

Those discussions would be complicated by Ter Stegen’s wages, while his performances for Ajax could prove decisive. Continued form would attract potential suitors, particularly because he remains Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper. However, a decline in performance or another injury would make the situation considerably harder to resolve.