Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia is set to be on the move this summer with Newcastle United one of several clubs interested.
Newcastle are looking to bolster their goalkeeping options this summer. While The Magpies currently have five senior goalkeepers in their squad, all are facing an uncertain future as things stand.
Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka have been linked with moves away from the club as they enter the final years of their contracts. Odysseas Vlachodimos played just 45 minutes of competitive football for the club last season and John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie are out of contract at the end of the month as things stand.
Newcastle have been linked with a goalkeeper signing for the past few transfer windows and came close to signing James Trafford from Burnley last summer. An agreement was reached with the player but Burnley rejected two bids from The Magpies.
The Clarets are now in a stronger negotiating position after achieving promotion back to the Premier League with Trafford enjoying a remarkable season in between the sticks, keeping 29 clean sheets in 45 appearances.
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Joan Garcia targeted by Newcastle United
Looking further afield for potential goalkeeper signings, Newcastle have scouted Spain over the past couple of seasons. Giorgi Mamardashvili at Valencia stood out as a top prospect last summer but a deal didn’t progress as the Georgian wanted to be a guaranteed starter ahead of Pope and Dubravka.
The 24-year-old ended up agreeing a deal to join Liverpool this summer.
Espanyol goalkeeper Garcia has been linked with a move to Newcastle by reports in Spain due to his relatively low £21million release clause. The 24-year-old has been linked with both Newcastle and Premier League rivals Aston Villa, who are looking to address the potential departure of Emi Martinez.
But both look set to miss out as La Liga champions Barcelona have swooped in for the goalkeeper and are looking to strike a deal as soon as possible.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims Barca are in ‘advanced talks’ with Garcia and are confident of agreeing a deal. But Premier League interest remains.
Romano posted: “Barcelona are now in 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 with Spanish GK Joan García 💙❤️👀Negotiations underway with García with club confident to get his final formal green light in the upcoming days.
“Barcelona want to get it done asap, pay the clause for €25m and anticipate Premier League clubs in the race.”
Joan Garcia addresses his future amid NUFC transfer speculation
Following the conclusion of Espanyol’s 2024-25 campaign, Garcia was handed the Dani Jarque Award for being the club’s player of the season. That award was presented by radio station Tot Gira, who also asked him about his future.
"At the end of the day, in football, news is coming out all the time, things are coming out,” Garcia said. “Until things become a reality, it's not always the truth.
"But anyway, as I'm telling you, I'm very calm. Whatever needs to be decided, I'll definitely think about it a lot with my people and choose what will be best for me. I'm sure it will be like that."
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