FC Barcelona is ruthless. In recent years, FC Barcelona has used and abused various tactics to try to force the exit of players deemed undesirable. Frenkie de Jong was one of the most affected. In 2022, the Catalans did everything they could to get him to leave the club in order to reduce their wage bill. Their plan was for him to sign with Manchester United, who were in the running. Except that the Dutch midfielder refused to give in to pressure from his management, who didn't hesitate to leak information to the press to try to get him to break down. But the former Ajax player didn't give in. His compatriot Memphis Depay was also a victim of the same strategy.
After only one year with the Culés, Barça tried to get him to leave. However, the former OL player, who had made significant financial efforts to sign, fought to stay, as he explained. "I'm not someone who gives up, I'm not a runaway. I try to give my all in training. Plus, I'm having a great time here; Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Of course, I don't agree with the fact that I'm playing less. But I've never complained. I try to speak with my feet. Then, the choice is up to the coach. More than half of the rumors weren't true, but of course, there was interest. After just one year, I thought it was too easy to leave."
Ter Stegen, the new undesirable
He finally joined Atlético Madrid in the winter of 2023. This summer of 2025, Marc-André ter Stegen is Barcelona's new unwanted. The German, the starting goalkeeper, suffered a serious knee injury at the start of last season. To replace him, the Camp Nou side had bet on Wojciech Szczęsny, who had come out of retirement. The idea was for him to act as interim manager and for Ter Stegen to return to his role when he was fitter. Except that Joan Laporta and his team decided otherwise. They decided to get their hands on the young and promising Joan Garcia (24 years old). The latter was courted in England, but he said yes to Barça, who promised him the number 1 position. FCB also chose to make Szczęsny their understudy. And what about Ter Stegen in all this?
A few weeks ago, the Spanish press reported that Barça wasn't ruling out his departure, in an effort to rejuvenate its squad, given the German is 33 years old. Furthermore, the Blaugrana bosses weren't sure he would return to his best form after his injury. At the same time, pro-Barça media outlets began to reveal information about the player, who was reportedly unhappy with his situation. His club is in the same boat. This Thursday, Sport also revealed new information. We learned that the management and staff were unhappy with some of the player's public statements, which expressed his desire to regain his number 1 spot once he recovered from his injury.
The German is furious
They also didn't like that he refused to speak as the team's leader during the La Liga title celebrations . Ter Stegen, for his part, is furious with Barça. He couldn't get over not playing in the Champions League at the end of the season. A decision by Flick that stuck in his craw. The German coach also disappointed Ter Stegen, who didn't like being on the bench against Athletic Bilbao on the final matchday after the title was already secured. Indeed, it was Iñaki Peña, whose departure is expected this summer, who started. All this angered the German goalkeeper, who wanted to have some playing time to best prepare for the Nations League with his country.
But above all, Marc-André ter Stegen lost money by not playing this match. Sport explains that he was due to receive a bonus for a certain number of matches played, as stipulated in his contract. By remaining on the bench, he saw this sum slip through his fingers, having finished the year with 9 matches under his belt. Despite the backlash and some resentment, the Spanish media outlet assures that the goalkeeper wants to stay next season. He is determined to fight for his place. But that's not Barça's plan, which would like him to leave before the end of his contract, which expires in June 2028, in three years. It remains to be seen whether the Culés' strategy will work this time.
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