Ter Stegen undergoes back surgery as Barca weigh up captain's future
Barcelona are reportedly keen to get Marc-Andre ter Stegen's wages off the books, but he is set for three months out with a back injury.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has successfully undergone surgery on a lower back injury, Barcelona have announced as they consider the future of their club captain.
Ter Stegen joined Barcelona from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, initially acting as understudy to Claudio Bravo before becoming their first-choice goalkeeper for 2016-17.
The Germany international was a regular presence between the sticks for the Blaugrana from that point on, until a patellar tendon rupture sidelined him for most of 2024-25.
Wojciech Szczesny impressed after coming out of retirement to deputise for Ter Stegen, while Inaki Pena also made 23 appearances across all competitions last season.
Barca have also signed Joan Garcia from city rivals Espanyol for a reported €25m, and with several experienced goalkeeping options on the books, Ter Stegen's future has been thrown into doubt.
The Blaugrana are reportedly keen to move Ter Stegen on due to his hefty wages, and the 33-year-old announced on social media last week that he required surgery on a troublesome back injury and would be sidelined for three months.
Reports suggested Barca had not been informed of Ter Stegen's plans to undergo surgery, and he has not travelled for the club's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
On Tuesday, Barca confirmed Ter Stegen's surgery had gone well in a brief medical update.
The club said: "First-team player Marc-Andre ter Stegen has successfully undergone further surgery for his lower back problems, performed by Dr. Amelie Leglise under the supervision of the club's medical services at Sports Clinic Bordeaux Merignac.
"He is unavailable for selection, and his recovery will determine when he can return."
Ter Stegen has made 422 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, keeping 174 clean sheets.
Among all goalkeepers from Europe's top five leagues, only Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak (223) and Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer (181) have kept more shutouts in that span.
Barcelona continue their pre-season preparations against FC Seoul on Thursday, having beaten Vissel Kobe 3-1 on Sunday.
