Hot news regarding FC Barcelona goalkeepers. Ultimatum is on the cover!
As we reported in early June , the Spanish champions have seen an unexpected turnaround in their goalkeeping hierarchy. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the man who captained the team, will most likely bid farewell to the club.
FC Barcelona and the goalkeeping chaos. What about Wojciech Szczęsny?The German goalkeeper suffered a serious injury during the 2024/25 season. Faced with the considerable challenge of replacing one of Barca's best players, the Catalan capital decided to make an emergency transfer. Wojciech Szczęsny, who had already been in a short retirement from sports, was brought in. Short, because the Pole had decided to hang up his boots a few weeks earlier, after parting ways with Juventus.
Eventually, "Szczena" returned to play, and Barcelona quickly realized that the Pole's transfer was one of the most successful moves of the previous season. Szczęsny began to play a significant role practically from the beginning of 2025. At one point, he was even the author of several spectacular interventions, contributing significantly to Barca's solid results. Among them, victory in the Spanish Super Cup, the King's Cup and the national championship.
Barca have noticed what a valuable asset the Pole is, and although initially it was agreed to finish the season and return Szczęsny to the role of a happy retiree, there are now many indications that the goalkeeper's contract will be extended for another two years. And this is a clear signal to the other players fighting for this position that one place - most likely the reserve - will already be taken.
The second half of the season also saw the return of the aforementioned ter Stegen. However, it looks like the German will not have a place in the future squad of the Pride of Catalonia.
"Barcelona is not a charity. The ter Stegen era is over," journalist Victor Lozano Nieto stated bluntly.
This is not the only opinion of this kind. Joan Garcia is to become Barca's new "number one". The 24-year-old goalkeeper will be brought in this summer from the champions' local rivals, Espanyol. Garcia will be the first, and Szczęsny, who was also excellent in this role, will be the reserve, playing an important role in the Pride of Catalonia's dressing room.
In the context of the German, Catalan journalists have no illusions.
"The problem comes when some people believe that a position is guaranteed because of seniority, reputation or any other reason. Barca are convinced that they do not owe anyone, including ter Stegen, any explanation for their transfer decisions. Planning the squad is the job of Deco and Flick. Just as you don't consult strikers when you sign another striker, you don't consult goalkeepers either. Ter Stegen has a contract and if he wants to stay, Flick will be responsible for managing the situation between him, Joan Garcia and Szczęsny. If any of them are unhappy, they should speak to Flick and the club will assess the matter accordingly," admitted journalist Fernando Polo.
As you can see, the German goalkeeper's position in the ranks of the Spanish champions seems to be weakening more and more. Interestingly, the context of the alleged ultimatum to ter Stegen appears on the cover of the Catalan press. And this also reflects the current mood towards the Barcelona captain.
In the context of ter Stegen, there is also more and more concrete information about the interest from Galatasaray. The club from Istanbul wants to carry out another transfer offensive in order to prepare as best as possible for the challenge of playing in the elite Champions League.
Could it be that ter Stegen will soon become a club teammate of Przemysław Frankowski? That certainly cannot be ruled out.
Wprost
