Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García’s move to Newcastle United is well on track and they’re very much ahead of Arsenal at this moment in time.
That’s according to journalist Ángel García, [via La Grada Online](https://www.lagradaonline.com/joan-garcia-newcastle-espanyol-angel-garcia-cazurreano-mercado-fichajes/), who has revealed all the details on the move to La Grada Radio.
García has long been linked with a move to England as he continues to impress in Spain and earn rave reviews around Europe. Arsenal are long-term admirers and were close to signing him last summer, before eventually pulling away from the deal.
They’ve been linked again ahead of this summer but reports this week have put Newcastle United at the front of the queue instead.
Several reports in Spain have insisted that they are pushing ahead with a deal as they plan to improve Eddie Howe’s squad this summer.
Journalist Ángel García says that is the case, reporting that the Magpies would be willing to activate and pay the goalkeeper’s €25m release clause.
That’s a decisive step that’s put Newcastle in a leading position for him, despite him being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona.
_“The information I’m receiving is quite reliable from the source; if not, I wouldn’t get so involved,”_ he said.
_“I don’t know if he’s signed or pending a signature, but everything is very much on track. Even though there was a lot of talk about Arsenal and the Top 6, they told me he wasn’t going to sign there as a starter._
_“You go to Newcastle on an equal footing with other goalkeepers, not like at other Top 6 clubs where you were labelled a substitute._
_“I asked people close to Joan himself, and they told me that, despite PSG’s interference, he was going to go to England. And after consulting them, I agreed with that authority.”_