Marc-André ter Stegen's move to Ajax has hit another major snag, according to transfer market expert Matteo Moretto of Marca. On Friday, the deal was said to be virtually complete, but talks have stalled again in the past few hours.
On Friday, nothing seemed to stand in the way of the FC Barcelona goalkeeper's move to Amsterdam. Ter Stegen had all but finalised his departure to Ajax, Barça had also given the green light, and a trip to the Netherlands looked only a matter of time.
Now the picture has changed completely, as Moretto explains. What first looked like a formality has become a fresh obstacle in a transfer case developing into 'one of the biggest summer sagas of the Spanish transfer market'.
At first, the problem was mainly on the fiscal side, but there is now also a disagreement over how the German goalkeeper's salary would be split. That has left negotiations at an impasse once again.
Because of the financial fair play rules, Barcelona do not want to make any further concessions. The Catalan club are holding their line, which leaves Ajax with little room to push the negotiations forward.
Ajax cannot take any extra steps either to complete Ter Stegen's arrival. The transfer is at a complete standstill again, and a quick breakthrough does not currently appear to be in sight.
Still, there is an expectation that things will become clearer in the coming days. Both clubs must 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.