Ajax have added Marc-André ter Stegen to a short list of target goalkeepers as new technical director Jordi Cruyff searches for an experienced No.1 to steady a rebuilding squad.
Cruyff, who took the job in early February, has compiled a candid shortlist that includes Bayer Leverkusen’s Mark Flekken, Yann Sommer and ter Stegen, people inside the club indicate; Sommer’s Inter Milan contract expires in June, making him available in this summer’s market.
The immediate consequence for Ajax is clear: Cruyff wants an established keeper rather than a developmental option. Ajax’s season has underlined that need — the club finished fifth, 28 points behind PSV Eindhoven, were eliminated from the Dutch Cup after a 0-6 reverse to AZ Alkmaar, slumped to 32nd in the Champions League group stage and have gone four years without a league title — and Cruyff has already been backed by the club to reset recruitment.
Ter Stegen represents a headline name who would meet the brief on experience and pedigree. Now 34, he lost Barcelona’s starting spot last summer to Joan Garcia, moved on loan to Girona in January in a bid to remain in contention for international duty, and was forced out after just two appearances because of injury; Girona’s relegation means he will officially return to Barcelona at the end of June where his contract runs until 2028.
The practical snag follows immediately: ter Stegen currently earns around €16–18m gross per year at Barcelona, while Ajax’s top earner is striker Kasper Dolberg on approximately €3.5m per year. That gap is not a small negotiation point — it is a structural mismatch between ter Stegen’s reported wage and Ajax’s pay scale that would require either a substantial pay cut from the goalkeeper or an extraordinary reprioritisation of Ajax’s wage bill.
That tension sits beside other complications. Ter Stegen’s World Cup plans for Germany collapsed when Manuel Neuer retained the place ahead of Oliver Baumann, and his recent injury at Girona leaves questions over immediate fitness. Meanwhile, Sommer is an attractive alternative: experienced, younger in European terms and with an expiring Inter Milan deal in June that simplifies a move if Ajax choose to pursue him.
Cruyff’s squad-building is not speculative theatre: Michel — who had taken ter Stegen to Girona in January — was officially presented at Ajax on Tuesday, signalling a coaching and recruitment reset. Ajax have guaranteed European football next season by reaching the Conference League play-offs, but the scale of the recent decline increases pressure to recruit effective reinforcements rather than long-term projects.
The open, decisive fact is financial. Ajax can name goalkeepers they want; the binding question is whether they can bridge salaries and contract commitments. Ter Stegen remains under contract at Barcelona through 2028 and is likely to be available only if Barcelona and the player agree a move — and if he accepts a sharply reduced salary or Ajax can find a creative structure to close the gap.
What happens next: the summer transfer window will determine whether Ajax make formal offers. Cruyff now has options on the table — Sommer, whose Inter deal expires in June, is the clearest low-friction target; ter Stegen would be high-impact but high-cost. The unresolved, decisive point is whether Ajax will choose the cheaper, quicker route with Sommer or commit to seeking a blockbuster compromise for ter Stegen that would force a rethink of the club’s wage structure.
