SPORT: Ter Stegen would rather be a substitute at Barcelona than go to Girona

According to a report by SPORT on January 1st local time, Ter Stegen still hopes to stay at Barcelona and has never considered transferring to Girona.

Since Joan Garcia took over as Barcelona's starting goalkeeper this season, German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen's desire has remained unchanged. He returned to the team in December after recovering from back surgery, which sidelined him for the first four months of the season. For personal reasons, he has no intention of leaving Barcelona.

Ter Stegen has consistently made it clear to the Barcelona sporting authorities that his contract with the club runs until 2028 and that he is willing to fulfill it. He has never doubted this, even when he was temporarily stripped of his captaincy in the summer due to registration issues caused by refusing to sign medical reports.

Even facing the reality of being the backup to former Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia—who has been the undisputed first choice since Hansi Flick took over—and having to compete with Wojciech Szczesny for the second-choice position, Ter Stegen has never considered leaving Barcelona. As previously reported, he has shown no interest in offers from the Premier League or Turkey.

From a sporting perspective, a loan move to Girona this season would allow Ter Stegen to remain near home and have the opportunity to start. However, financial considerations present another hurdle – Girona must complete a player sale during the winter transfer window to pay part of the German goalkeeper's salary, a prerequisite for Barcelona's agreement to the deal.

Besides the salary issue, sporting factors are the real challenge facing Ter Stegen. In the past few months, he has never considered a transfer to Girona. In fact, he has been working with the German Football Association to develop plans for the World Cup, including communication and arrangements with sporting director Rudy Völler and national team coach Nagelsmann.

Ter Stegen's plan is very clear: even if he cannot start for Barcelona in La Liga or the Champions League, he is willing to stay, but hopes to start in the Super Cup and Copa del Rey, provided his physical condition allows. Combined with his playing time during the final stages of the international break and in La Liga matches where Barcelona is no longer in contention for the title, this playing time is enough for the German national team to continue considering him their number one goalkeeper.

However, this plan has already encountered its first flaw: Flick has clearly stated that Joan Garcia will start in the Saudi Super Cup. This is undoubtedly a blow to Ter Stegen, but it won't change his overall plans for the time being. He prefers to fight for a starting position in the Copa del Rey, even if it means being a substitute at Barcelona, rather than accepting Girona's offer. While a loan move to Girona would give him more match fitness, given that Girona, managed by Michel, is currently struggling to avoid relegation, any unexpected situation in any match could directly impact his chances.

However, if he still doesn't start in the next Copa del Rey match, and Flick continues to choose Joan Garcia or Szczesny, Ter Stegen will have to make a decision. He might then enter the World Cup without a high level of match fitness, which is unacceptable to the German Football Association and could disrupt Nagelsmann's goalkeeping plans. In this scenario, the loan move to Girona would become more attractive to him.