Arsenal suffer blow in move for Espanyol goalie

Arsenal have suffered a transfer blow in the race to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

This comes as reports claimed Garcia has turned down proposals Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester City in favour of a move to the Spanish La Liga to join Barcelona.

Garcia attracted attention from top clubs in Europe after he put up an impressive for among La Liga goalkeepers in the 2024-25 campaign.

Recent report claimed that the Catalans are leading the race to sign the 24-year-old goalkeeper.

Mundo Deportivo also reported that Garcia has also made his decision to leave Espanyol for rivals Barcelona.

It further claimed that the goalie has given the green light after holding a meeting with his family and several of his agents on Tuesday evening.

He chose to turn down offers from Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle United, Napoli, Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen.

It is perceived that Barcelona are the only club ready to pay Garcia’s €25m release clause in full, as others interested him wanted to negotiate a different payment structure.

Meanwhile, Espanyol have stated that they would let the goalkeeper leave, only if their demands are met.

With Garcia favouring a move to Barcelona, Arsenal will have to turn their attention elsewhere.