Arsenal have done a lot of work on the potential signing of Joan Garcia and the goalkeeper is open to joining, according to David Ornstein.
As the summer transfer window edges closer, Arsenal already appear to have a couple of deals in the works. One is midfielder Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad, and the other is Joan Garcia of Espanyol.
Despite Espanyol’s position towards the bottom of La Liga, Garcia has been one of the standout goalkeepers in the division. David Ornstein confirms for The Athletic that Mikel Arteta is hoping to add Garcia as a backup to David Raya.
Ornstein continues by mentioning that sources suggest Garcia would be open to joining Arsenal, who have done a lot of work for his acquisition, but nothing is done yet.
The potential uncertainty comes from the other clubs in the race, with reports just this week suggesting that Atletico Madrid are interested.
Diego Simeone reportedly sees Garcia as the perfect long-term replacement for Jan Oblak, with Atletico considering signing the goalkeeper and loaning him back out for a year.
Ironically, it could be former Atletico chief Andrea Berta in charge of Arsenal’s attempts to rival Atletico for Garcia’s signing this summer. Berta is expected to join the Gunners and start work in the coming days, having left Atletico in January.
Garcia will be fully focused on his club’s current relegation battle, but it’s clear that there’s a lot of interest in him. Barcelona have also been linked in recent weeks.
The Gunners made a €25m (£20.8m) bid for Garcia on deadline day last summer, with the club having initially been assured that they would be able to sign Garcia for significantly less than his €30m release clause.
Once talks opened, it quickly became clear that Espanyol would only sell for the full clause, and the deal didn’t happen.