Arsenal are realising it could be increasingly difficult to sign Spanish goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol this summer, TBR Football can reveal.
Arsenal wanted to sign Garcia last summer but were unable to conclude a deal — opening the door for the likes of Manchester United and Bournemouth.
Garcia has since been superb in La Liga for Espanyol following their promotion to the top flight, performances which have only attracted more interest in his signature.
Mikel Arteta has a firm number one in David Raya but Garcia is envisioned as someone who could provide genuine competition at the Emirates Stadium —- a remarkable young talent.
And that explains why Man United are currently doing their own work on the 23-year-old, who might already be considered as an upgrade on Andre Onana.
Arsenal might struggle to sign Joan Garcia
That being said, Graeme Bailey, TBR Football chief correspondent, understands that Garcia will be offered first-team chances in Italy, Germany and in England this summer.
Arsenal still want Garcia but they are releasing that mounting interest in the goalkeeper is going to make a deal very tough.
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Ultimately, Garcia’s decision will be key, but it’s clear why a route to a guaranteed first-team spot could be tempting, as opposed to being Raya’s understudy.
To that end, TBR can confirm that United are keeping checks on Garcia, as are Bournemouth on the south coast.
Onana’s struggles at Old Trafford have been well-documented over the past few months and in terms of Bournemouth’s situation — Kepa Arrizabalaga is only on loan from Chelsea.
Garcia has a £25m release clause in his contract, one that could present excellent value for all of the sides interested.
Arsenal are looking at goalkeeper alternatives
In lieu of Garcia possibly being unavailable, Arsenal are doing work on other options to come in as Raya’s new competition this summer.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carl Rushworth could be an option for Arsenal, a homegrown 23-year-old who has proved his quality on loan in the Football League.
In addition, the Gunners are interested in Yahia Fofana at Angers in Ligue 1 — but he could be in a similar situation to Garcia.
Fofana is excelling as Angers’ number one right now, and it has to be questioned if he’d leave that role to be back-up elsewhere.
A difficult one to get right for Arsenal, and no one could blame Garcia for choosing a side like United or Bournemouth if it promised a more realistic path to becoming first-choice.
