Espanyol are pushing for the idea of selling Joan Garcia to Newcastle United or generally to one of the English sides as opposed to Barcelona.
According to AS, Espanyol are looking for ways to not sell Joan Garcia to Barcelona. The La Liga side are open to sending their 24-year-old keeper to Newcastle United or the Premier League in general as the stopper’s immediate future could become clearer in the coming days.
There’s a lot of chatter surrounding Joan Garcia’s future after the keeper’s heroics prevented Espanyol from suffering relegation from La Liga. The stopper has a €25 million release clause, as Espanyol expects suitors to trigger the same and get their hands on the 24-year-old in the summer.
There’s been plenty of suitors for the keeper, with Aston Villa and Arsenal one of the interested ones. The former are eager to land a new stopper as Emiliano Martinez could leave the Midlands side, while the Gunners have been chasing the Spaniard since last summer when Aaron Ramsdale departed late in the window.
Apart from those, Barcelona are also mentioned as a suitor alongside Real Madrid in Spain. The keeper plays for their Catalonia rivals Espanyol, which would make a move very difficult for the 24-year-old personally, as his club also does not wish him to join Barcelona.
They are eager to push Garcia over to one of the Premier League sides, as Newcastle United are also in the mix for the 24-year-old. The Magpies are in the market for a new keeper to compete with Nick Pope and replace Martin Dubravka, although any move for the 24-year-old will prove challenging for Eddie Howe’s side.
Joan Garcia’s future is to be resolved soon
Garcia is set to meet with his agents to determine the next steps for his career as he looks set to leave Espanyol in the summer. With his club pushing for him to join Newcastle United or one of the English sides, Barcelona cannot be ruled out at the moment.
The report explains that while Barcelona Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny are in their ranks, especially with the latter set to sign a new deal, they do not need a new keeper at the moment. However, the club staff are not happy with the German, as they see the idea of signing Garcia in a bid to push Ter Stegen out of the club as a viable option. Hence, the Catalans cannot be ruled out at this moment.
