Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia’s rise in profile continues, and another fine performance last weekend against Alaves ended up earning his side a win over fellow relegation battlers Alaves. Those performances have not gone unnoticed across town.
According to Cadena SER, Barcelona have been keeping tabs on Joan Garcia, and are interested in the 23-year-old shot-stopper. They have been impressed by his showings in La Liga, and even believe that he could be the long-term answer to the goalkeeping position at Camp Nou, with incumbent options Marc-Andre ter Stegen (32) and Wojciech Szczesny (35) at the back end of their careers. Inaki Pena is not expected to be in contention beyond the end of the season.
With a €25m release clause, Garcia could be relatively affordable long-term solution for the Blaugrana, but their current plans mean they are likely to miss out on the Olympic gold medallist. The plan at Barcelona though is to have ter Stegen and Szczesny as their senior goalkeepers next season, and that will halt the arrival of Garcia.
Breaking: Everything indicates that Lamine Yamal will not only be included in the squad to face Atlético Madrid, but he’s also expected to start. @MCTorresA
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 25, 2025
Espanyol are in a desperate salary limit situation, and will likely be obligated to make a large sale in the summer, with Garcia the most obvious candidate. Already last summer Garcia was the subject to bids from Arsenal, and the Gunners have been tipped to return for him next summer. Mikel Arteta’s goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana identified Garcia as a priority option in 2024, and they are reportedly ‘very confident’ of getting a deal done this summer.
Garcia won a starting spot midway through last season, usurping one-time Spain goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco, and playing a crucial run in their route back to La Liga through the play-offs last season. Currently Los Pericos sit 15th, two points above the drop zone, and that is in no small part down to Garcia’s contribution betweent the sticks. With the second-lowest salary limit in La Liga though, Espanyol are in dire need of income this summer.
