Barcelona and ter Stegen at loggerheads over lay-off length

Barcelona and long-time goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen are at loggerheads over a social media post from the German, Spanish media reports said on Saturday.

Mundo Deportivo reported that Barça believe his claim that he would only be sidelined for three months due to a necessary back operation is an attempt to block the use of a rival.

Other Spanish sports media had similar reports. Neither the club nor the player has made any public statements on the matter.
The row was reportedly triggered by ter Stegen's recent social media post about his back surgery.

He wrote that doctors expected him to be out for around three months.

However, he would need to be sidelined for at least four months for Barcelona to register a replacement under Spain's financial fair play rules.

Reports have said Ter Stegen was already upset at the signing of keeper Joan Garcia and the contract extension of veteran shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny.

Both sides are said to have reached a "dead end," according to the sports newspaper AS. It was further reported that ter Stegen would soon be stripped of the captain's armband.

Ter Stegen's contract runs until 2028, but the club would reportedly prefer to part ways with the high earner sooner.