Arsenal elbow Man Utd aside and become favourites to sign LaLiga ace – report

Harry Watkinson 27 Apr 2025 4:37 PM

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with Espanyol star Joan Garcia

Arsenal could get a discount on Joan Garcia

Arsenal are reportedly leading Premier League rivals Manchester United and Manchester City in the race to sign talented Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

The Gunners are keen to sign a new shot-stopper who can compete with David Raya, following the departure of former back-up option Aaron Ramsdale last summer.

Neto has played that role for Arsenal this season, but Mikel Arteta’s side aren’t expected to sign the 35-year-old permanently once his loan from Bournemouth ends.

According to Spanish outlet SPORT, Arsenal are the ‘most likely’ club to sign Garcia this summer, despite rival interest from Man Utd and Man City. Bayer Leverkusen are also said to be watching the situation.

Garcia has a release clause of €25m (£21.5m) in his contract, and it could rise to €30m (£26m) if the transfer is not completed before the last 15 days of the transfer window, so Arsenal must move quickly to get a deal done.

The 23-year-old is considered one of the best young goalkeepers in LaLiga and has made 32 league appearances this season, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.

Garcia is arguably a key reason why Espanyol haven’t been drawn into a relegation battle this term but everything points towards him leaving in the coming months.

Man Utd have approached LaLiga shot-stopper

Garcia was heavily linked with Arsenal in the January window but they ultimately decided against moving for him at the time, but he remains on the shortlist.

The Gunners’ sporting director Andrea Berta is expected to be busy, having been tasked with identifying striker, midfield, winger and goalkeeper targets.

There is no doubt that there will be competition for Garcia, however. Another recent report from Spain claimed that Man Utd’s director of recruitment Christopher Vivell has made contact with the goalkeeper’s agents.

Furthermore, Man Utd are reportedly keen to trigger his signing early this summer, to avoid his fee increasing later in the window, as mentioned.

If Arsenal and Man Utd both trigger Garcia’s release clause, it will be up to the player to decide between joining the two clubs. Of course, he could also choose to stay with Espanyol, but that is unlikely, by all accounts.

What’s clear is that Ruben Amorim is not fully convinced by Andre Onana, hence why Man Utd are looking at potential goalkeeper signings.

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