After weeks of uncertainty, Ajax have finally completed a deal for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who will join the Eredivisie side from Barcelona on a season-long loan.
The clubs confirmed the deal on Tuesday after reaching an agreement that will see both sides share the cost of the Germany international’s wages, although it is understood that Barcelona could pay up to 90% of it.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper is aiming to reinvigorate his career after dropping to the periphery at Barcelona over the past two years.
Ajax head coach Michel was influential in persuading Ter Stegen to make the move to the Netherlands. The pair previously worked together when the coach brought the goalkeeper to Girona on loan in January, although the spell was cut short after Ter Stegen suffered an injury in only his second appearance. He returned to Barcelona to recover.
People close to the player say he has fully recovered and is ready to compete again after injury and lack of minutes also denied him the chance to represent Germany at the World Cup.
He leaves Barcelona after more than a decade of success. Since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, Ter Stegen has made 423 appearances and won 20 major trophies, including seven La Liga titles and the Champions League.
His involvement, however, declined after Hansi Flick became Barcelona manager in the summer of 2024. Knee and back injuries restricted him to only 10 appearances during that period, and Ajax will now hope the experienced goalkeeper can regain regular playing time next season.
FC Barcelona and AFC Ajax have reached an agreement for the loan of Marc-André ter Stegen until 30 June 2027.https://t.co/lwihtczYmU pic.twitter.com/Jb0ogNBVvm
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 4, 2026
Loan move will help Ter Stegen reinvigorate his career
At 34, Ter Stegen does not have too much playing time left in his career. But then perhaps that is why he has to make the most of what is left.
If goalkeepers can expect to play at the top level until 40 years of age, then Ter Stegen still has up to six years left, and he will be hoping that some consistent playing time in the Eredivisie will get him back into the kind of fitness and form that will set him up for those years.
His contract at Barcelona runs until 2028 but he 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 Szczesny, before being pushed down further to third place after Barcelona signed Joan Garcia last summer.
Ter Stegen has since remained at Barcelona, mostly injured. The loan move to Girona at the start of this year was an opportunity to get back on the pitch consistently, but he was unlucky to get injured again in just his second game for the club, which later forced him to miss the World Cup with Germany.
Even Barcelona’s agreement with Ajax reflects the uncertainty over whether or not Ter Stegen will be fit enough to play a reasonable number of games, with Barcelona set to pay 90% of his wages if he does not.
There is no option for Ajax to make the move permanent, which means that regardless of what happens, Ter Stegen will return to Barcelona next summer, if not before.
