Bayern president fires warning to Germany: Pick Ter Stegen over Neuer & we won't send you our players!
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has warned Germany against picking Marc-Andre ter Stegen over Manuel Neuer, or else face missing out on a whole host of Allianz Arena stars.
Ter Stegen has made a strong case for a spot in Joachim Low's starting line-up at international level with his performances for Barcelona in recent weeks.
The 27-year-old was forced to sit on the bench as Germany lost 4-2 to the Netherlands and beat Northen Ireland 2-0 in Euro 2020 qualifying fixtures earlier this month, with his frustrations boiling over upon his return to Camp Nou.
Ter Stegen publicly voiced his grievances, claiming he has "tried everything" to break into Low's side, with Neuer criticising his fellow countryman for speaking out on the issue .
A back and forth between the two players in the media has since followed, but Hoeness has completely rejected the notion that the Bayern No.1 could soon be disposed on the international stage and even threatened a boycott.
The Bayern president told Sport Bild : "We would never accept that [Ter Stegen replacing Neuer as No.1]. [If Bayern are informed of the change] before it happens, we won't send any players to the national team anymore."
The German publication then asked Die Mannschaft technical director Oliver Bierhoff if he was concerned by Hoeness's comments, to which he responded: "No. And according to FIFA rules, a club is obliged to send their players to the national team anyway."
Ter Stegen has been in inspired form for Barcelona so far this season, most notably shutting Borussia Dortmund out in a tense 0-0 draw at Westfalenstadion in the Champions League last week.
The Blaugrana goalkeeper is widely considered to be one of the best in the business, but he has only managed to claim 22 caps since making his Germany debut in 2012.
Neuer, meanwhile, continues to enjoy Low's full confidence at international level, despite an inconsistent year at Bayern.
However, the Germany boss has been unafraid to wield the axe with underperforming stars in the past, with the likes of Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels having been axed and not considered for future selection.
Ter Stegen's next opportunity to stake his claim will come when Barca take in a trip to Getafe on Saturday, while Neuer will be back in action with Bayern for a Bundesliga showdown at Paderborn.
Update: Hoeness released a statement via his office to Der Spiegel insisting he wouldn't have made the comments, which he gave in the aftermath of Bayern's Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade, if he had given the interview now.
The statement read: "Immediately after the Champions League game against Belgrade, Mr Hoeness made some statements regarding the discussion about Germany's No. 1 goalkeeper which he wouldn't make again today with some time having passed. The topic is done for him and he won't make any further statements on it."