Marc-André ter Stegen has left FC Barcelona for the second straight season. On Tuesday, it was announced that the 34-year-old goalkeeper had officially joined Eredivisie side Ajax on a one-year loan. According to The Athletic, Barcelona will still pay around 90 percent of his wages, although that could drop "slightly" depending on conditions being met.
"Marc has an outstanding track record, and his qualities are widely recognized. He is an immediate addition to our squad. Marc and I know each other well, and I’m looking forward to working with him again," said Technical Director Jordi Cruijff in a club statement. "We have been working on bringing him here for quite some time, so we’re very pleased that he has signed his contract and can now get started".
Since joining from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014, Ter Stegen has been a key player for Barcelona, winning 21 trophies. Among those were the Champions League, which he won in his first season with the club. As recently as the 2022/23 season, he was still considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, winning the La Liga MVP.
Injuries have heavily disrupted his recent seasons. In September 2024, he suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee, keeping the German out for the majority of Hansi Flick's first season. Veteran Wojciech Szczęsny filled in capably as Barcelona won La Liga, and in the summer, promising goalkeeper Joan García joined from rivals RCD Espanyol.
The drama continued as Ter Stegen was temporarily stripped of club captaincy last season following his surgery, which, between his failure to share his medical information and the duration of the injury, caused Barcelona problems with player registration. In the end, the issue was resolved, and Ter Stegen was reinstated as captain, but the damage was done.
In January, Ter Stegen was loaned out to Míchel's Girona, a club that, shortly after reaching the Champions League, was now midtable in La Liga. However, the German was unable to save the struggling club. He made just two appearances, a draw vs Getafe and a loss to Real Oviedo, before suffering a hamstring injury. The goalkeeper missed the remainder of the season, and Girona were relegated.
Barcelona simply have no use for Ter Stegen, who turns 35 in April. Getting his wages off the books is not as desperately needed as a few years back, now that the club has returned to financial stability, which is perhaps why Barcelona are willing to pay so much of his wages while he plays for Ajax. He's no longer good enough to start for Hansi Flick's side, and his injury record and salary make him a less-than-reliable backup.
There's still no permanent plan in place to get Ter Stegen off the books, it seems. Last season's loan was only a temporary fix, and, as Ajax have no buy option and would require the German to take a massive pay cut to make any move permanent, this loan appears to be one as well. He's under contract in Catalunya until 2028, too, so it's possible that Barcelona will once again have to settle for another flawed solution next summer.
For the time being, Ter Stegen has a chance to start fresh in the Netherlands. He has not been a regular starter in two years now, but should get that chance with Ajax if he can stay healthy. Last season's starter Vítězslav Jaroš has returned to Liverpool following his loan, meaning Ter Stegen's only real competition is Maarten Paes.
Ajax finished fifth in the Eredivisie last season and are currently in Europa Conference League qualifiers. The club, led by Ter Stegen's former Girona manager, Míchel, open their Eredivisie season on August 9th against PEC Zwolle.
The German is the third goalkeeper to leave Barcelona this summer. Iñaki Peña, who briefly stepped in while Ter Stegen was injured in 2024, has been sold to Greek side Panathinaikos, while Diego Kochen, who was a regular on the bench, was loaned to Danish side Lyngby with an option to buy.
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