Barcelona's management has made their attitude towards Marc-André ter Stegen very clear: after signing García and renewing Wojciech Szczęsny's contract, the German will be reduced to the club's third-choice goalkeeper. However, Ter Stegen has his own firm thoughts. Despite some teams showing strong interest in him and being willing to cover his salary, he has firmly rejected the option of a transfer.
Ter Stegen has a plan of his own: he intends to stay at Barcelona at least until January next year. By then, if the situation turns out to be not as he imagined, he may choose to leave. The goal is to improve his form by fighting for playing time over the next six months, thereby earning a place in the World Cup squad.
As things stand, Ter Stegen is in excellent physical condition and full of confidence in himself, convinced that he is fully capable of competing for the starting goalkeeper position. He firmly believes he has returned to his best form and, among Barcelona's current three goalkeepers, considers himself the best. If Barça's final decision is based on players' competitive level, Ter Stegen says he will compete with all his might. He always feels he still has a chance to turn the situation around, and time will tell.
Over the past few weeks, Ter Stegen has actually received offers from Galatasaray and Monaco, but he unhesitatingly refused to negotiate with them. He does not believe now is the right time to leave Barcelona. His decision is also highly likely to spark a series of major issues within FC Barcelona.
