The FC Barcelona board has a lot of work to do after Marc-André ter Stegen's injury. The loss of the Barça captain, almost certainly for the rest of the season, allows the club to reuse 80% of the German goalkeeper's salary. This translates into freeing up some 'Fair Play', perhaps enough to resolve two serious headaches that, for the moment, remain unresolved at Can Barça.
On the one hand, the loss of the '1' and the consequent saving of his chip opens the door to incorporating another goalkeeper for the remainder of 2024/25, since the German international will hardly receive a medical discharge before next summer. In principle, the club has opted for Wojciech Szczęsny, whose contract would not cause problems for Barça with its salary bill. The Pole would earn around 3 million euros gross, which is why the board has left the final decision in the hands of Deco and Hansi Flick.
At the moment, both the coach and the Barça sports director seem convinced of hiring the former Juventus goalkeeper, although the one from Warsaw will arrive with clear intentions of being a starter in both the League and the Champions League. However, there is also full confidence in Iñaki Peña since the start of the preseason, which is why it is likely that both goalkeepers will alternate roles in the League. In Europe, Szczęsny would be undisputed, as long as he arrives at the club in good shape.
Barça hopes to take advantage of Ter Stegen's injury to register Dani Olmo
On the other hand, the board hopes to resolve the registration of Dani Olmo for the rest of 2024/25 once the signing of the new Barça goalkeeper is official. Barça has already taken advantage of 80% of Andreas Christensen's signing, he is out until January due to plantar fasciitis that became more complicated than expected, to register the player from Terrassa until December 30 and will repeat the formula to ensure the playmaker's permanence in the workforce until June 2025.
However, the operation depends on the 'ok' of LaLiga, since the regulations establish that, when a club loses a player for more than four months without the transfer market being open, it can register another footballer in his place, always and when it is a incorporation made within 30 days after the injury. In August, Olmo was a newly signed player, so it was possible to take advantage of the 'hole' left by Christensen. The scenario now is different, since it is a footballer who will be left off the payroll in January because Barça continues to exceed its salary bill.