Efforts are made by the team to ease the goalkeeper during the conflict with Barcelona.
Barcelona Resolves Dispute with Ter Stegen, Clears Way for New Goalkeeper
In a significant turn of events, FC Barcelona has resolved its dispute with goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, paving the way for the registration of their new signing, Joan García.
Ter Stegen, who has been sidelined due to a back injury, initially refused to authorize the sharing of his medical data with LaLiga, preventing the club from registering new signings without breaching financial fair play rules. However, after a temporary stripping of the captaincy, Ter Stegen agreed to cooperate, authorizing the medical report, and LaLiga officially recognized his injury status.
This ruling enabled Barcelona to register Joan García for their 2025-26 league campaign using the salary space allocated for Ter Stegen's injury. García, signed for around €25 million from Espanyol, was officially registered and available for Barcelona’s opening league game of the season.
The resolution of this dispute has also seen Ter Stegen reinstated as captain of FC Barcelona, ending a tense stand-off that involved public airing of grievances and potential impact on team morale and cohesion.
Barcelona, under coach Hansi Flick, had initiated a disciplinary procedure against ter Stegen and removed him as captain to put pressure on him. However, with the resolution of the dispute, the club can now focus on the upcoming season.
Ter Stegen's sporting situation at Barcelona remains uncertain, as the club does not seem to be planning to use him as their starting goalkeeper. With the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico just a year away, Ter Stegen faces significant pressure to secure his starting position and maintain his place on the national team.
The league's financial fair play rules allow a club to use part of an injured player's salary to register a new player if the injury lasts at least four months. Barcelona still exceeds LaLiga's financial fair play limits, but additional mechanisms, such as a €7m financial guarantee against future earnings, are being used to register other new signings and renew contracts while waiting for LaLiga to approve new deals and revenues.
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- Despite the resolution of the dispute, Ter Stegen's future in football at Barcelona remains uncertain as he might lose his starting position with the arrival of Joan García.
- Ter Stegen's focus now shifts towards securing his place in European-leagues and the German national team, given the World Cup is just a year away, while Barcelona continues to navigate the financial fair play rules in LaLiga to register new signings and renew contracts.
