Barcelona's Ter Stegen to undergo back surgery

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be out for at least three months after the FC Barcelona goalkeeper announced on Thursday that he will undergo surgery for a back injury.

FC Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen (3rd L) saves the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Joan Gosa)

The news comes at a difficult time for the German international, who missed nearly all of last season with a torn cruciate knee ligament.

Barcelona signed Wojciech Szczesny to cover his absence and renewed the Polish goalkeeper's contract earlier this month. The club has also activated the 25 million euros release clause to bring in Joan Garcia from Espanyol, casting doubt on ter Stegen's place in the squad as the club looks to trim its wage bill.

"Today is a personally difficult day for me," ter Stegen wrote on Instagram, adding that he felt "in very good shape, although unfortunately I am not free from pain."

"After intensive discussions with the FC Barcelona medical team and external experts, the quickest and safest way for me to fully recover is through back surgery."

This will be the goalkeeper's second back operation. He noted that he missed 66 days after the first procedure, but that "this time, the doctors believe about three months will be necessary as a precaution, to avoid any risks."

The operation means ter Stegen will be sidelined until at least the end of October, making it unlikely that Barcelona will register him in the first-team squad for the first half of the season. It also all but rules out a transfer before the window reopens in January 2026.

Meanwhile, Barcelona's planned tour of Asia is in doubt after the squad failed to fly to Japan on Thursday as scheduled, due to unresolved issues with the tour contract. The itinerary includes one match in Japan and two in South Korea.