Barcelona goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen has spent the better part of two years on the sidelines.
By the time he returned from a long-term injury early in 2025, he had lost his place in the squad to Wojciech Szczęsny, before being pushed down further to third place after Barcelona signed Joan Garcia last summer.
Ter Stegen has since remained at Barcelona, mostly injured. He agreed to a loan move to Girona at the start of this year but made only two appearances before suffering yet another injury problem, which later forced him to miss the World Cup with Germany.
This summer, he has received interest from Eredivisie side Ajax, who are willing to sign him on loan. Barcelona are expected to cover a significant majority of the player’s salary, making the move more financially realistic for Ajax. Their new manager, Michel, is also keen on the deal after previously working with the goalkeeper during his loan spell at Girona.
However, the move has stalled considerably since it was first reported, even though it had initially appeared rather straightforward. According to sources, there are unresolved issues involving both tax arrangements and how much of the player’s salary will be played by each club.
Ajax want some assurances given the player’s injury record, so they are asking for salary commitments to be divided between them and Barcelona based on Ter Stegen’s minutes played. However, the goalkeeper is understood to be concerned that such an arrangement would affect tax filings after moving from Spain to the Netherlands.
Barcelona are also unwilling to pay too much of Ter Stegen’s salary due to financial fair play concerns, but Ajax cannot afford to take on too much, due to their own financial situation, and the risk of the player missing large chunks of the season injured.
The Dutch club are now threatening to walk away unless an agreement can be reached soon. They believe the current problems can be resolved but do not want the process to continue without a clear outcome, according to sources.
The club are not expected to take further action to break the deadlock and will instead wait for progress between Barcelona and the Germany international.
If the situation extends for much longer, Ajax will consider other options for their goalkeeping position.
