Arsenal stunned as Barcelona reach ‘agreement’ to sign Spain star

Arsenal look set to miss out on LaLiga star Joan Garcia as he is reportedly on the verge of joining Barcelona, while the Catalan giants could pile more misery on Mikel Arteta by signing an Emirates star too.

Arsenal and Barcelona are among a host of clubs to have been impressed by Garcia’s excellent displays for Espanyol in recent seasons. The goalkeeper is a fantastic shot-stopper who is also great with the ball at his feet.

Arsenal and Barcelona both registered their interest in Garcia last summer. Espanyol sporting director Fran Garagarza has since confirmed that Arsenal held talks over Garcia’s potential capture, though they did not meet the necessary asking price.

Since then, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli have joined the hunt.

As per the latest from Catalan source Sport, Barca have fought off the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle and won the chase for Garcia.

The Spaniard ‘will become Barca’s new goalkeeper next week, barring any unexpected developments’.

Barca sporting director Deco has ‘reached an agreement in principle’ with Garcia over a five-year contract.

Deco and Barca are poised to trigger his €25million (£21m / $28.5m) release clause at Espanyol.

Deco has ‘worked hard’ on the deal and has ‘made good progress’ in recent days, leading to the agreement on personal terms.

Garcia has accepted Barca’s proposal, believing it is ‘the best option from a sporting and financial point of view’.

Garcia is expected to come into Hansi Flick’s team as the ‘starting’ keeper in the early stages of next season.

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Ter Stegen, Szczesny facing competition

He will compete with Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny for the No 1 spot, should the latter stay by penning a contract extension.

Barca chiefs Deco and Joan Laporta have earmarked the goalkeeper position as a crucial area to bolster following Ter Stegen’s serious knee injury.

Szczesny has been an admirable stand-in – especially considering he had previously retired – but both he and Ter Stegen are in their 30s, which means the position needs to be future-proofed. This is where 24-year-old Garcia comes in.

Arteta will be disappointed if this report proves to be true and Garcia joins Barca over Arsenal.

Arteta has identified Garcia as the perfect keeper to replace Neto and provide David Raya with cover and competition next season.

But with Garcia edging closer to Barca, Arsenal will have to look at alternative options.

To make matters worse for Arteta, it was claimed on Saturday that Barca have shortlisted Gabriel Martinelli as a winger target in case they miss out on their top two objectives.

Arsenal battling Man Utd; talks for two strikers

Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly burst into the race for a top Man Utd target.

Plus, journalist Sacha Tavolieri has revealed the two strikers Arsenal are in talks for.

But they only intend to sign one of the players, as they seek a lethal replacement for Gabriel Jesus.

POLL: Barca’s best signing from a different LaLiga club in the past decade