Arsenal are leading Barcelona in the race for Joan Garcia ahead of the summer, with the Espanyol keeper likely to leave his current surroundings.
According to Cade Naser, Arsenal are the club in pole position to sign Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia in the summer. The Gunners are tasked with beating Barcelona for the services of the 23-year-old Olympics 2024 gold medalist, with the stopper tasked with a big future decision.
Joan Garcia has continued his excellent development at Espanyol, and while the La Liga strugglers would like to keep him at the club, the 23-year-old Olympics 2024 gold medalist’s future certainly lies elsewhere. Last summer he was open to joining Arsenal as the north London side fell short of matching his release clause.
The clause stands at €30 million, and Espanyol are not eager to negotiate on that part, as they continue to maintain their stance from last summer. Arsenal are very much expected to win the race for Garcia, and as things stand, they are ahead of their rivals.
Manchester City are keen to sign Garcia as a replacement for Ederson, but their chase is complicated by the fact that Pep Guardiola views Diogo Costa as his primary target. Barcelona are eager to get ahead in the chase and sign the 23-year-old Olympics 2024 gold medalist, although they have enough options in the current squad to cover between the sticks.
Unless the Catalans move one of their current stars, and offer Garcia a starting berth, the Espanyol keeper seems destined to make a move to the Premier League. Arsenal, at the moment, are the favourites to land him, as Mikel Arteta views him as a perfect option to compete with current No.1 and Spanish compatriot David Raya.
Will Joan Garcia join Arsenal?
Raya’s status as Arsenal’s No.1 has been clear since the start of last season, yet, Garcia was seemingly ready to join Arsenal last summer when they made an offer. None of the clubs that are in the mix for the 23-year-old Olympics 2024 gold medalist are offering him a clear-cut starting spot, meaning he is likely to join a team as their No.2.
Barcelona could potentially complicate Arsenal’s chase of Garcia if they can offer guarantees of the No.1 shirt, which for the time being may not happen. Hence, the Gunners are seen as the front runners given they have done considerable groundwork on Garcia, which does make them the favourites for the Spanish keeper to pick.