Marc-André ter Stegen's move to Ajax has become significantly more complicated again, according to transfer market expert Matteo Moretto of Marca. While the deal was said to be virtually done on Friday, talks have stalled again in recent hours.
On Friday, nothing appeared to stand in the way of the FC Barcelona goalkeeper's move to Amsterdam. Ter Stegen had all but finalised his switch to Ajax, Barça had given the green light and a trip to the Netherlands looked only a matter of time.
Now, though, the situation has changed completely, as Moretto explains. What first looked like a formality has turned into another obstacle in a transfer case developing into 'one of the biggest summer sagas in the Spanish transfer market'.
At first, the issue was mainly tax-related, but a disagreement has now also emerged over how the German goalkeeper's salary would be divided. That has left the negotiations at a standstill once again.
Barcelona do not want to make any more concessions because of the financial fair play rules. The Catalan club are holding their line, which leaves Ajax with little room to push the negotiations forward.
For their part, Ajax are unable to take any further steps right now to complete Ter Stegen's arrival after all. The transfer has ground to a halt again and a quick breakthrough does not appear to be close.
Even so, there is still an expectation that clarity will emerge in the coming days. Both clubs will have to decide whether a compromise is still possible to get the transfer over the line.
For now, Ter Stegen remains in Barcelona. The German goalkeeper is waiting to see whether Ajax and Barça can remove the remaining obstacles and make a loan move to the Johan Cruyff ArenA a reality.