FC Barcelona on Edge as Ter Stegen's Decision May Lead to Extended Absence

Rumors regarding Marc-André Ter Stegen suggest that the German keeper may not fit into Flick's plans for next season. The club signed Joan Garcia, a former Espanyol goalkeeper, this summer and will have Wojciech Szczęsny for another season.

Not only has competition been an obstacle for Ter Stegen to get minutes as Barcelona's main goalkeeper for next season, but in terms of his physical fitness. Ter Stegen did not train in the team's first training session.

The German keeper is facing back issues and is considering surgery. The club and the player have not confirmed if the surgery will be done, but if the goalkeeper decides to do it, his absence would be a factor for the squad in a couple of ways.

How long would Ter Stegen be out if he gets back surgery?

According to JijantesFC, if Ter Stegen decides to have surgery, the keeper may be sidelined for several months. He may be out for around four months. Ter Stegen is also expected to miss the FC Barcelona Asia pre-season tour that begins in less than two weeks.

Due to his expected absence if he accepts to do a surgery, Ter Stegen is likely to stay at FC Barcelona. However, Barcelona may consider using the long-term injury rule to register other players like Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczęsny.

Mundo Deportivo reports that the Catalan club needs 80% of Ter Stegen's salary to register one of Joan Garcia and Szczesny. Ter Stegen's weekly salary is reportedly around $140k a week, according to Capology.

FC Barcelona's pre-season tour

FC Barcelona will travel to Asia for their pre-season. The team will play one game in Japan and two in South Korea. The opponents will be Japan's Vissel Kobe and South Korean teams FC Seoul and Daegu FC.

FC Barcelona pre-season schedule

• FC Barcelona vs Vissel Kobe (July 27)
• FC Barcelona vs FC Seoul (July 31)
• FC Barcelona vs Daegu FC (August 4)

Luis Rojo reports that FC Barcelona is expected to earn more than $17 million from the Asia tour this summer. Jijantes reports that Flick is planning to bring 26 out of 36 players for the Asian tour. The manager picked players who passed the physical and medical check-up.