Andrea Berta looks set to veto Arsenal’s move for one of Mikel Arteta’s top transfer targets with the Gunners having been tipped to return for him this summer.
Berta, who’s ready to make Bukayo Saka Arsenal’s highest-paid player, is already making his mark at the North London club and appears to have a clear idea of who they should be prioritising.
The new Arsenal sporting director has already started work on targets for the attacking areas, with Nico Williams’ camp having held talks with Arsenal about a potential move.
However, one of the players who Arsenal attempted to land last summer could now be off the cards with Berta thinking the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Andrea Berta ready to reconsider Arsenal’s move for Joan Garcia
Andrea Berta appears to keen to turn his back on Arsenal target Joan Garcia who the Gunners tried to sign last summer, according to The Mirror.
Arsenal made two bids for Garcia last summer and had an agreement with the goalkeeper, however, they were both rejected by Esnapyol and he ended up staying in La Liga.
Mikel Arteta’s side had been tipped to return for Garcia in the summer, but now, the club’s new sporting director look set to reconsider their move.
The former Atetico Madrid director maybe feels that the money could be better spent elsewhere, as the 23-year-old would only be sat behind David Raya as the team’s number two.
Garcia, who has a £25m release clause, is believed to remain open to a move to the Emirates, although as many as ten clubs have approached his camp, including Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.
Joan Garcia is having a great season for Espanyol
Garcia has now kept back-to-back clean sheets in his last two appearances for the Spanish club having kept out Rayo Vallecano and Celta de Vigo.
| Comp | Apps | Clean sheets | Goals conceded |
| La Liga | 30 | 6 | 40 |
| Copa del Rey | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 30 | 6 | 40 |
The 23-year-old is close to joining Raya in the Spain squad, with the Spanish media quite critical of Luis de la Fuente’s decision to leave him out the last squad.
