Barcelona is facing a crisis as it awaits the decision of German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen regarding undergoing back surgery, after the treatment regimen failed to achieve the desired results, just before the start of the 2025/2026 season.

The newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" clarified that the club is anticipating Ter Stegen's final decision, as undergoing surgery would allow Barcelona to register new goalkeeper Juan Garcia while benefiting from an 80% reduction in Ter Stegen's salary on the team roster.

Ter Stegen is absent from the preparatory tour the team is undertaking in Japan and South Korea, as he has not participated in team training since it began on July 14.

The coaching staff has informed the German goalkeeper that next season will see Barcelona relying on the experienced duo Szczęsny, who recently renewed his contract, and promising goalkeeper Juan Garcia coming from Espanyol.

Ter Stegen has participated in 422 matches with Barcelona across all competitions, during which he conceded 416 goals and kept a clean sheet in 175 matches.