Barcelona superstar not considering summer exit despite transfer rumors for 3 key reasons: Reports

Marc-André ter Stegen is reportedly not considering leaving Barcelona even after the Catalan club completed the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from cross-town rivals RCD Espanyol. The German shot-stopper joined La Blaugrana in 2014 and has been the team’s No. 1 in LaLiga for over nine seasons.

At the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Ter Stegen retained his position in goal at Barcelona. However, an injury to him in a league match against Villarreal in September saw the coveted role handed to the second-choice goalie, Iñaki Peña. Pena’s hopes of keeping the gloves throughout the time Ter Stegen was injured vanished after former Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came out of retirement.

Ter Stegen did recover from his injury before the end of the season, featuring in a league match against Real Valladolid in May. However, he only got one start in his five subsequent matches, with reports suggesting he fell out with manager Hansi Flick after he returned from injury.

Meanwhile, Barcelona had been monitoring Joan Garcia since the turn of the year following his impressive performances in goal with Espanyol. It was said that Garcia’s arrival at Camp Nou could result in Ter Stegen’s departure, as the club were considering handing a new deal to Szczesny, who was expected to be his backup.

A few hours ago, Barcelona made their first summer signing, activating the €25 million release clause on Joan Garcia’s contract with Espanyol. That added further uncertainty to the future of the club’s chief captain, Ter Stegen, with reports claiming Barca are open to selling him this summer. However, the 33-year-old is reportedly not thinking of leaving the club despite the current circumstances.

According to ESPN, there are three significant reasons why Ter Stegen has no intention to leave Barcelona this summer. The first and primary motive is that the German is confident he can still deliver as the club’s No. 1, believing it is the best place to be to secure his spot in the German national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The second reason is more personal and relates his family. He is happy in Barcelona and wants to be close to his children after separating from his long-term partner and recently moving into a new home. Lastly, he is contracted with the club until 2028. He wants see out his contract rather than leave early, fully aware that Barcelona would struggle to pay out the remaining value if they let him go for free before it expires.

Ter Stegen signed his latest contract extension in 2023. As part of the deal, president Joan Laporta agreed to further extend previous deferments on salary payments to help mitigate the club’s financial constraints. Ter Stegen earns about €10 million after tax every year. Since there are three years left on his contract, that adds up to around €30 million in total. That’s a lot of money to pay him just to leave.

“There's no situation that needs to be discussed” – Ter Stegen says he’s not leaving Barcelona this summer

Before Barca signed Joan Garcia, Ter Stegen had made his stance regarding his future at the club clear. In a recent press conference, the former Borussia Monchengladbach goalie assured the public that he will remain at the Catalan club next year.

He said (via GOAL):

"I know I'll be at Barcelona next year. I'm extremely excited about the coming season because we have a great team that's young, dynamic, and hungry. There's no situation that needs to be discussed."

He added that he is ready to compete should the club sign a new goalkeeper, saying:

“If I remember correctly, and if nothing new has happened in the last few hours, we only have two goalkeepers for next season, Inaki [Pena] and I. So basically, the competition is between us. And whoever comes in, no matter what, will have to face this competition.”

To date, Ter Stegen has made 422 appearances for La Blaugrana across competitions.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide