Barcelona has removed the planned meeting with Marc-André ter Stegen, which was scheduled for Wednesday, from the agenda. According to COPE, it has been decided that the meeting will only take place if the goalkeeper himself requests it. The matter is now in the hands of the club’s legal department, according to Spanish media.
Embed from Getty Images
Barcelona’s ongoing financial difficulties have once again come to the forefront, and this time the club’s strained relationship with Marc-André ter Stegen is at the heart of the issue.
The Catalan giants are reportedly trying to navigate La Liga’s strict salary regulations by classifying the German goalkeeper’s current injury as a long-term one, a move that could grant them significant financial relief. However, the situation is far from straightforward and is developing into a tense standoff between club and player.
According to several Spanish outlets, Barcelona wants to submit a formal medical report to La Liga declaring that Ter Stegen’s back injury will keep him out of action for a minimum of four months. This would activate a clause in the league’s regulations allowing clubs to remove up to 80% of an injured player’s salary from their wage cap, provided the injury is certified as long-term and exceeds a four-month absence. That freed-up salary space would be crucial for Barça, who are currently struggling to comply with La Liga’s financial fair play rules and are desperate to register new players ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Among the players Barcelona is hoping to register are goalkeeper Joan García (believed to be targeted as Ter Stegen’s short-term replacement), Premier League forward Marcus Rashford, experienced Juventus shot-stopper Wojciech Szczęsny, and Swedish wonderkid Roony Bardghji. Each of these signings would demand both a transfer fee and significant wages, making the reduction of Ter Stegen’s salary footprint on the books an essential step in completing the deals.
However, the club cannot act unilaterally in this matter. Under current regulations, the submission of medical information to La Liga for such purposes requires the express consent of the player involved. And that’s where the situation has hit a major roadblock.
Marc-André ter Stegen has reportedly refused, so far, to sign the necessary documentation that would allow the club to proceed. The German international has expressed concerns over the contents of the medical report, particularly the claim that his recovery will take a minimum of four months. According to sources close to the player, Ter Stegen was not informed in advance that the club planned to list his recovery period as that long a detail that carries major contractual and reputational implications.
Publicly, Ter Stegen has maintained that he expects to be back in action within approximately three months, which would fall just short of the threshold required for the salary exemption. His position has raised eyebrows within the club, as it directly undermines their ability to maneuver financially this summer.
Barcelona’s frustration has reportedly grown in recent days, with several club officials viewing the goalkeeper’s reluctance as an obstacle to their broader squad planning. Tensions appear to have reached the point where the club is considering legal avenues to force the issue although whether that’s legally viable remains unclear.
According to radio station RAC1, the Spanish players’ union (AFE) has already advised Ter Stegen that he is well within his rights to refuse consent and that Barcelona has no legal standing to impose disciplinary action over a medical privacy matter. Under Spanish labor law and La Liga regulations, the release of medical data even for internal league purposes is entirely at the player’s discretion.
This unfolding conflict comes at a particularly awkward time for both parties. Ter Stegen, who joined Barcelona from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014, has long been considered one of the cornerstones of the squad and is among the highest-paid players at the club. His current contract runs until 2028, a long-term deal he signed with full confidence in the club’s project and future.
However, internal dynamics have shifted. Earlier this summer, Barcelona reportedly informed the 32-year-old that he would be allowed to leave if a suitable offer arrived. With the club undergoing a major rebuild and seeking to reduce its wage bill, offloading veterans on high salaries became a priority. Yet, Ter Stegen’s current injury complicates any potential transfer, making it highly unlikely that a move will happen before the end of the window.
Now, instead of focusing on his recovery and return to the pitch, Ter Stegen finds himself caught in a bureaucratic and legal battle with his own club a situation that could have long-lasting consequences. If the standoff continues, it risks further damaging the already strained relationship between the player and the club hierarchy, while also impacting Barcelona’s ability to strengthen their squad in the immediate future.
In many ways, the case reflects the broader chaos that continues to plague FC Barcelona off the field: a club trapped between its ambitions, financial constraints, and a growing list of internal disputes that threaten to derail its rebuilding process.
Updated: 11:13, 6 Aug 2025
