The Catalan club will pay £21.1m to land the Espanyol goalkeeper, whose arrival places fresh pressure on Marc-André ter Stegen and ends Arsenal’s interest.
Barcelona will sign Joan García after opting to pay his £21.1 million release clause in full, ending speculation around the Espanyol goalkeeper’s future and drawing a line under Arsenal’s year-long interest in the 24-year-old.
The move will make García the most expensive goalkeeper in Barcelona’s history and comes after months of internal planning led by Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco. García, who played 38 times for Espanyol last season and helped them avoid relegation, is expected to sign a contract until 2031.
Arsenal, who had tracked García since last summer, formally stepped away from negotiations earlier this month. Despite considering him a serious long-term option, the club was never convinced by the logic of paying £21.1 million for a player who would not displace David Raya. They are now believed to trying to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is reportedly happy to join the club as second choice.
According to Carlos Monfort, Arsenal’s recruitment team ultimately concluded that signing García as a backup goalkeeper would represent poor value. That view was reinforced by García’s own public position. Speaking earlier this year, he made it clear that he would not accept a reserve role. “All players want to play, I’ve just started. I’ve been playing for a year and a half and I want to continue playing,” he said. “There are many factors to consider, but for me, being so young and with the desire I have, it’s very important to keep playing.”
Barcelona’s offer matched his ambition, reportedly providing guarantees over García’s status as first-choice goalkeeper despite Marc-André ter Stegen still having three years remaining on his contract. The German, recently returned from knee surgery, now faces a battle to remain in the starting XI ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
García’s decision comes at significant personal cost. He came through Espanyol’s youth system, made his debut at 20, and has been a fan favourite. But the lure of a leading role at Camp Nou was decisive. After meeting with his agents and family in a Barcelona restaurant on Tuesday, García authorised the move. The clause will be activated in the coming days.
While Manchester City, Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, and Inter also all expressed interest, only Barcelona were willing to meet the clause in full. Espanyol had made it clear they would not negotiate below the release figure, which would have dropped to £12.7 million had they been relegated.
By triggering the clause before it increases to £25.3 million later this summer, Barcelona have avoided a repeat of Arsenal’s drawn-out pursuit that failed last year.
With Wojciech Szczęsny likely to renew for another year as a backup and Iñaki Peña set to leave, Flick will now build around a new No.1. García, who made more saves than any other goalkeeper in La Liga last season, fits the bill. A Catalan native, commanding in the air, with modern distribution – Barcelona believe they have found their next Víctor Valdés.