Barcelona star 'ready to go to war' with club for 'leaking info' will 'only terminate contract if they pay huge sum'
A Barcelona star has given the club a clear ultimatum after a bitter feud about his situation continues to unravel.
Though the Blaugrana didn't make the Champions League final after suffering a 7-6 semi-final aggregate defeat to Inter Milan, Hansi Flick's side enjoyed a successful season as they won La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
The club are already looking to get business done ahead of next season and the state of affairs in regards to goalkeepers is particularly interesting.
Having retired a month earlier, former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny ended up performing a swift u-turn and played 30 games after first-choice goalkeeper and captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen suffered a "complete rupture in the patella tendon" and had to undergo surgery in September.
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Szczesny ousted Inaki Pena to become No.1, with Ter Stegen returning at the end of the season against Real Valladolid.
Marc Andre-Ter Stegen is furious with Barcelona and has one demand to leave
The Pole is out of contract in the summer and everything appeared to point towards Ter Stegen would be come back in as the main choice in between the sticks.
However, Barca have moved to sign Joan Garcia, who is poised to join for a fee of €25 million from Espanyol and become Flick's new No.1.
Ter Stegen is welcome to stay despite not being counted on for the long-term and an in-depth report from SPORT details what the former Monchengladbach is demanding in order to leave.
Feeling as though the club "acted treacherously", Ter Stegen was not happy that Barca were not upfront in telling him his position and there is even a suggestion he believes reports about his behaviour behind the scenes have been leaked by design.
Still contracted until 2028, Ter Stegen is of the view that Barca, who have had their fair share of financial issues of late, must pay him the full €42 million for him to terminate his deal.
That figure is what Ter Stegen would be line to receive between now and the end of his contract, excluding bonuses and prize money.
With difficulty to offload him because he doesn't want to move to Saudi Arabia, Barca are said to be willing to pay one year's worth of wages in order to end Ter Stegen's contract but the exit is described as "more than complicated" as the player's entourage are "very close-minded".
Asked about his future on 1 June while on international duty with Germany, Ter Stegen said: “No one has told me about this, so I don’t know the situation,” Ter Stegen said in response to questions about his future.
“I’m not worried. I know that I will be at Barcelona next year.”
Topics: La Liga, FC Barcelona
Josh Lawless