Ter Stegen s solo training has attracted attention, World Cup prospects may force him to transfer this summer

Barcelona's pre-season training camp kicked off, but the team captain and main goalkeeper Mark Andre Terstegen failed to appear in the joint training team. The figure of the German national gated training in the gym casts a deeper shadow on his future at Camp Nou.

Barca's signing move this summer directly hit Ter Stegen's position. The club spent money to sign 24-year-old local goalkeeper Joan Garcia from his city rival Espanyol. The outside world is generally expected to become the starting candidate under the new coach Frick. Meanwhile, experienced Polish goalkeeper Voyceh Szczesni has also received a new contract extension for two years and will serve as a reliable substitute.

Garcia's joining means that Ter Stegen is facing the possibility of being replaced, and his absence from the first-day joint training has sparked speculation from the outside world. Although journalist Gerald Romero later clarified that Ter Stegen was training alone and was not injured, the move undoubtedly intensified discussions about his departure.

Telstegen replaced Sergi Roberto, who left the team last summer, as Barcelona captain (he joined the team committee as the fourth captain in 2022). However, he missed most of the games last season with a long knee injury and failed to regain his starting position even after a full recovery.

It is reported that the 33-year-old goalkeeper was originally determined to stay in the team to compete for the position, but did not participate in the joint training this time, which seemed to clearly convey the information that Frick's coaching staff may have excluded him from future plans.

Finance perspective, Barcelona's replacement of Ter Stegen with Garcia with similar salary levels (about 6.3 million euros) has not saved significant expenses. But Garcia's addition has put two high-paying goalkeepers on the team's payroll, so the sale of Ter Stegen has become a priority for the club.

The potential next home is emerging. Galatasaray, the Turkish Super League champion who urgently needs to find a long-term successor to meritorious goalkeeper Fernando Musleira, has recently heated up contact with Ter Stegen again. In addition, several European clubs including Manchester United, Newcastle United and Juventus are also believed to be likely interested.

For Ter Stegen personally, a key goal of his career - getting rid of his "10,000-year substitute" and becoming a German team in the 2026 World Cup (he has been Neuer's substitute before) - can be achieved largely depends on whether he can get a stable first-team appearance in the 2025-26 season. This person's ambition may also become an important factor in promoting his transfer this summer.