Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen is considering undergoing back surgery, which could rule him out for several months, a source told ESPN.
A final decision has not been made and the problem could yet be fixed with more conservative treatment, but it has prevented the German international from training with his teammates since Barça returned for preseason on Sunday.
The timing of the problem could not be worse for Ter Stegen, who is facing a fight to keep his place in the Barça team following the €25 million signing of Joan García from Espanyol.
Sources told ESPN that Barça have opened the door for Ter Stegen to leave this summer following the arrival of García, but the player remains reluctant to move on.
Barça’s plan is for Wojciech Szczęsny, who recently signed a new two-year contract with the club, to provide cover for García.
As a result, Ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña, the team’s fourth goalkeeper, both face uncertain futures, although a source denied reports that coach Hansi Flick has explicitly told Ter Stegen he has no chance of playing.
Either way, Ter Stegen is unlikely to be part of the squad which travels to Asia next week for friendlies in Japan and South Korea as the Spanish champions step up their preparations for the new campaign.
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Ter Stegen’s final decision on surgery may also be influenced by the fact the World Cup takes place at the end of the season, where he hopes to be his country’s No.1 following Manuel Neuer’s retirement from international football.
Barça signed Ter Stegen from Borussia Mönchengladbach for €12 million ($14m) in 2014 and he has been the team’s outright No.1 since 2016.
During that time, the 33-year-old has made 422 appearances, winning 17 trophies, but a knee injury restricted him to just nine outings last season, prompting Barça to sign Szczęsny, who came out of retirement to join the club.
