Barcelona’s relationship with Marc-André ter Stegen is quickly turning ugly, with a new report suggesting the club is “at war” with its captain over the privacy of his medical records.
Ter Stegen had already seen Barcelona sign Joan García and hand Wojciech Szczęsny a new contract to firm up the goalkeeping department for the forthcoming season, thereby pushing him into the shadows.
Signs of a fracture were being seen towards the end of 2024–25 when Szczęsny was retained as the preferred starter, even after Ter Stegen had recovered from a long-term knee injury.
As soon as preseason began, the Germany international began training alone amid the uncertainty over his position at the club. But Ter Stegen underwent surgery on his lower back at the end of July that will mean several months out of action while he recovers.
That development kills Barcelona’s chance to sell or loan the goalkeeper during this transfer window, which has led the club to consider other ways to try and remove his salary from La Liga’s spending cap so that García can actually be registered to play when the season begins.
Barcelona’s legal department is exploring any legal and disciplinary measures that the club can use to send Ter Stegen’s medical report to La Liga’s medical commission without his permission, MARCA explains, after he refused to willingly give his consent.
Both La Liga and the players’ association in Spain (AFE) deny that there are any loopholes that could allow Barcelona to go behind the 33-year-old’s back. Ter Stegen has also turned down the chance to meet with his employers who have been seeking an amicable outcome, per Mundo Deportivo.
The club’s motive for trying to get the document in front of the medical commission is to determine how long Ter Stegen stands to be sidelined for. It it’s four months or longer, the injury is considered long-term and his salary could be removed from the squad cost. The player himself estimated ahead of the operation that it will take him three months to recover.
Barcelona were able to do similar last summer when Andreas Christensen was ruled out of the first half of the season through injury. It helped register Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, but that particular example blew up in the club’s face when the temporary measure expired midseason and could not be renewed without an embarrassing and protracted legal challenge.
But medical reports being shared has to be with consent and permission from the player involved. Although Barcelona “believe” they will be able to do it, the law is on the side of Ter Stegen and there is no workaround—as MARCA puts it: “under any circumstances”. Any such attempt do so is a “serious violation” of the captain’s rights, and “no professional or labor regulations support this”.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen ‘War’ Over Medical Records Escalates.