Germany goalkeeper Ter Stegen joins Ajax on loan from Barcelona aiming to catch Klopp's eye
German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has joined Ajax on a season-long loan from Barcelona. The move is intended to help the 34-year-old regain form and catch the attention of new Germany national team coach Jürgen Klopp.
Why it matters
The transfer highlights the high-stakes movement of veteran players seeking to secure spots in national team squads following disappointing international tournament results.
Germany goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen joined Ajax on loan from Barcelona on Tuesday (August 4, 2026) as he aims to revive his national-team career with new coach Jürgen Klopp.
Ajax said the 34-year-old Ter Stegen signed a season-long deal that reunites him with the storied club's new coach Míchel Sánchez.
Ter Stegen had a complicated 12th season with Barcelona and moved to Catalonian neighbor Girona on loan in January.
After three straight World Cups as understudy to Manuel Neuer, including a title in 2014, Ter Stegen was not selected for a fourth this summer. Germany went out in the round of 32 against Paraguay.
Ter Stegen played the last of his 44 games for Germany in June 2025 at the Nations League final four mini-tournament.
"Marc has an outstanding track record, and his qualities are widely recognised," Ajax technical director Jordi Cruijff said in a statement.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in