Barcelona have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol triggering a €25 million (£21.1m; $28.6m) release clause. The 24-year-old has now signed a six-year contract which keeps him at the club until 2031.
Garcia, who has been among Barcelona’s top priorities for the summer transfer, was considered among the best goalkeepers in La Liga last season.
What Joan Garcia said
The goalkeeper revealed his decision to leave the club in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “I know that this decision won’t be easy to understand for everyone,” Garcia said.
“I don’t ask you to do so. But I do want you to know that it’s been a decision which I’ve thought about a lot, thinking not only in my career but also in what’s best for the club, for my family and for me. It’s not any old farewell, it’s a stage of my life which ends with the conviction that everything I’ve lived has made me better.”
Read: Joan Garcia bids farewell to Espanyol ahead of Barcelona move
Joan Garcia: Initial interests from Arsenal
Arsenal has also expressed their interest in Garcia. The Gunners pursued the player during the summer of 2024. But backed off towards the end of the window after it became clear Espanyol were not ready to accept an offer less than his release clause. Joan Garcia kept 12 clean sheets in 21 matches in the 2023/24 season as he helped Espanyol again promotions to La Liga.
He started all 38 of Espanyol’s La Liga fixtures during the 2024-25 campaign, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 51 times. Espanyol finished 14th in La Liga, two points clear of the relegation zone.
Where does this leave Ter Stegen?
The 33-year-old suffered a knee injury which kept him sidelined since September. With Joan Garcia landed, Ter Stegen’s position as Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper is under threat.
Ter Stegen’s contract at Camp Nou runs through until 2028, but Barca are looking to offload the goalkeeper and his salary. Should this materialize, German will have his role in the next World Cup at stake.
Julian Nagelsmann wants Ter Stegen to be his number one goalkeeper after Manuel Neuer retirement, but if the player doesn’t have a regular starting next season, this will be under threat.
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