La Liga’s spending rules prevent club from registering first and second choice goalkeepers until they clear enough salary space
Barcelona are facing a goalkeeping challenge, with the club considering Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Inaki Pena as surplus to requirements but unable to register their preferred replacements due to La Liga regulations.
Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny have yet to be officially registered with the league, even though they are the two goalkeepers Hansi Flick intends to rely on next season. In contrast, the two whom the club want to move on from, Ter Stegen and Inaki Pena, remain listed as Barcelona’s active first-team goalkeepers on La Liga’s official platform.
The problem comes from La Liga’s spending rules that prevent the club from registering new signings until it clears enough salary space. Barcelona have been working behind the scenes to offload players and renegotiate deals to meet that threshold, but the delay has created an awkward scenario, particularly for Ter Stegen, who is technically still Barcelona’s No 1 but no longer features in Flick’s plans.
Sources close to the club say Flick himself has approved the arrivals of Garcia and Szczesny. The German coach fell out with Ter Stegen last season after the latter returned from a long injury but did not adapt properly to the expected dressing room culture.
However, Ter Stegen’s stance on leaving is uncertain. While on international duty for Germany he said: “As far as I know, Barcelona currently has two goalkeepers: Inaki Pena and me. I will stay.”
His insistence on staying complicates the club’s efforts to negotiate an exit given that he is on considerable wages and a contract until 2028.
The upcoming 2026 World Cup might influence Ter Stegen’s decision, as he would need to be playing regularly if he is to play as Germany’s No 1, and he is unlikely to get that opportunity at Barcelona under Flick.
For now, though, the 33-year-old remains part of the squad and is expected to take part in pre-season medicals on 13 July and travel with the team to Asia.
Pena’s situation is much less problematic. His wages are not as high, so if he does not find a new club this summer, he may remain as Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper. Sporting director Deco, however, is pushing to clear out any players surplus to requirements to create space and flexibility for contract renewals and new signings.
