Arsenal have stepped up their efforts to sign Joan Garcia, and the player could be available for a cut-price fee if Espanyol are relegated this season.
Simon Jones reports for the Daily Mail that Arsenal have stepped up attempts to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol, holding further talks over the goalkeeper last week.
Despite rival interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Barcelona, Garcia has reportedly shown a willingness to accept the challenge of competing with David Raya for the first-choice spot at Arsenal.
A fee hasn’t been agreed, likely in part because Garcia’s release clause hasn’t been finalised yet.
If Espanyol are relegated, Jones reports that Garcia’s clause will drop to around £13m, significantly less than the current clause. Previous reports had stated his clause as it stands is €30m (£25.3m).
Arsenal will therefore wait to see how the season plays out. If Espanyol go down, Garcia’s fee could be an easy bargain. If not, they may need to do some negotiating.
Espanyol are currently two points and two places clear of the relegation zone, with Alaves (27 points), Leganes (27 points), and Las Palmas (26 points) on their tail.
The Gunners have already shown they’re willing to invest a decent fee in Garcia, making a €25m (£20.8m) bid for him last summer. When Espanyol rejected the deadline-day approach, it was too late to find a compromise, and Arsenal signed Neto on loan from Bournemouth instead.
It’s unclear whether or not that will turn out to be a good thing. Arsenal could sign Garcia for even less than their previous bid, but the last year has also seen the goalkeeper’s stock rise significantly with multiple rival suitors emerging.