According to the latest media reports, regarding the root cause of the rift between Barcelona captain Marc-André ter Stegen and the club, Barcelona insiders argue that two key factors have led the German goalkeeper to the current impasse with the club.
Previous reports stated that after Barcelona learned yesterday that ter Stegen refused to sign a consent form to submit his back surgery medical report to La Liga's medical committee, the club quickly launched disciplinary proceedings against him. Initially, the club handled the matter with a conciliatory attitude, even leaving the door open for a meeting to communicate, hoping he would change his mind. But now, Barcelona believes ter Stegen has pushed the situation to an extreme, with no room for compromise left.
The matter is currently in the hands of the club's legal department, and Barcelona does not rule out taking the harshest measures. Legally, the club is confident it has sufficient grounds, even the right to terminate ter Stegen's contract. They are also willing to take the matter to court, feeling fully confident in this standoff with the player.
Within the club, it is widely believed that ter Stegen's anger and emotional turmoil stem primarily from a financial blow: by missing the final match of last season against Athletic Bilbao, he failed to reach the 60% participation threshold, directly losing a €3.5 million bonus.
Moreover, after the club signed Spanish goalkeeper Joan García this summer, ter Stegen chose to confront the club, even going so far as to block the new signing's registration rather than cooperate to facilitate the process.
