Barcelona are eager to beat Arsenal to Joan Garcia, who could be available for €25 million or even lower depending on Espanyol’s situation.
According to a report by Marca, Barcelona and Arsenal are preparing to fight over the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The Spanish stopper has impressed both clubs and depending on whether Espanyol manages to stay afloat in La Liga, he could be available for €25 million or lower.
Joan Garcia has made a lasting impression on some of the top clubs in Spain and England. The Espanyol star seems destined for a big move in the summer. Arsenal were the most interested party last summer, and they made a late bid following the sale of Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal have done plenty of the necessary groundwork and were not deterred by Espanyol’s rejection of their offer. The Gunners are expected to win the race for Garcia, although plenty more clubs have joined the race since their bid last summer.
Manchester City are also interested in Joan Garcia, as they view him as a potential replacement for Ederson Moraes in the summer. The chase is a bit complicated, given that Pep Guardiola reportedly wants Diogo Costa as his primary target, while there are no definitive guarantees about Garcia’s role in the side should they sign him. Arsenal are clear with their ideas, as they want to bring Garcia to compete with David Raya.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are in the mix in a big way, with the Catalan side preparing changes to their goalkeeping positions. For starters, there are concerns over Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s long-term career in Catalonia, while there is no clarity over what they want to do with Woijech Szczesny beyond the current campaign.
Barcelona are pushing to sign Joan Garcia
Garcia is reportedly more likely to join a Premier League side, with Espanyol seemingly unwilling to negotiate with Barcelona owing to their rivalry. The stopper has a €25 million release clause, which could be further reduced should Espanyol suffer relegation from La Liga at the end of the season.
While the element of Espanyol’s reluctance to negotiate with Barcelona might be genuine, director Deco is not likely to concede defeat just yet in pursuit of Joan Garcia. Barcelona are very much expected to play a significant role, and should they offer the €25 million-rated Olympics 2024 gold medalist a starting spot ahead of next season, they will be his most prominent suitor in the summer over the likes of Arsenal.
