Though back at the club, this German goalkeeper has yet to join training with the main squad.
The discussion around Mark-André ter Stegen’s future began soon after Barcelona signed Juan García. With four goalkeepers now in the first team, rumors started swirling, centering on uncertainty over ter Stegen’s role. Recent reports have only deepened that fog.
Last month, Barcelona signed 24-year-old Spanish keeper García from Espanyol. Alongside him are ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczęsny, and Iñaki Peña.
Ter Stegen has long been Barcelona’s primary goalkeeper and a key figure in their successes. At the start of last season, an injury to him forced the club to rely on Szczęsny, who had come out of retirement to join the team.
Ter Stegen has since recovered, but when Barcelona extended Szczęsny’s contract for two more years, the situation took a dramatic turn. Initially, there was talk that 26-year-old Peña might seek regular playtime elsewhere following García’s arrival.
However, in recent days, uncertainty around the 33-year-old ter Stegen has grown.
According to ESPN, although Barcelona returned to preseason training, ter Stegen has not yet participated with the main squad. After medical tests, coach Hans-Dieter Flick led the first session on Monday while ter Stegen stayed in the gym.
The club confirmed to ESPN that ter Stegen was also absent from Tuesday’s two training sessions. Barcelona will soon travel to Japan and South Korea for friendlies next week, but it remains unclear if ter Stegen will be part of the squad.
Sources told ESPN that the club advised ter Stegen to find a new destination, but he has expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona.
How much truth there is to these rumors will likely become clearer in the coming days. Still, staying out of first-team training certainly fuels the speculation surrounding ter Stegen’s future.
