Barcelona closing in on €25m signing, personal terms “very advanced”

Barcelona may be struggling with financial problems, but they look set to complete their first signing of the summer transfer window in the coming days.

It’s no secret that Barcelona are very interested in signing goalkeeper Joan Garcia from city rivals Espanyol. The 24-year-old was widely regarded as the best in his position in La Liga last season, and on the back of this, a number of clubs across Europe have registered their interest – including from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

Barcelona pushing hard to close Joan Garcia agreement

🚨🔵🔴 The agreement between Barça and Joan García on long term deal is now very advanced, almost done.

Negotiations underway with Spanish GK with club confident to get his green light in the upcoming days.

Barça want to get it done asap and anticipate Premier League clubs. pic.twitter.com/xYIGPLyOHp

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 31, 2025

But it is Barcelona that are firmly leading the race to sign Garcia, with Espanyol powerless to stop a deal happening due to the player having a €25m release clause. According to Fabrizio Romano, negotiations on personal terms are said to be at an advanced stage.

Barcelona are aware of the interest being shown in Garcia from the Premier League, and given that they would be unable to compete financially with the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Newcastle, they are pushing ahead in the hope of reaching an agreement in the next few days.

There is no doubt that Garcia would be a top signing for Barcelona, and given his age, he is more than capable of making the goalkeeper position at the Spotify Camp Nou his own for many years to come.

Garcia arrival would see Marc-Andre Ter Stegen moved on

And the knock-on effect of his arrival is the La Liga champions are now looking to sell club captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The Germany international is projected to be third-choice goalkeeper next season, behind Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny, so there is a desire to get his mammoth wages off the books.

There have been doubts about Ter Stegen’s performance levels for some time, and his departure would be welcomed by many supporters. If he does leave, it would also end an era of him being the number one goalkeeper for Barcelona, which he has been for the best part of 10 years.