Barcelona sign goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol

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Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

He joins the club on a six-year deal that runs through to 2031.

The 24-year-old was considered among the best goalkeepers in La Liga last season, and his release clause at Espanyol was set at €25million (£21.1m; $28.6m).

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The Athletic reported in the DealSheet on June 3 Garcia was among Barcelona’s top priorities this summer.

“I know that this decision won’t be easy to understand for everyone,” Garcia said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

“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.”

Arsenal have also held a long-standing interest in Garcia but the Premier League side have been working on alternatives this summer.

Arsenal pursued the goalkeeper in the summer of 2024 but withdrew from negotiations late in the window after it became clear Espanyol were not prepared to accept any offer worth less than his release clause. Arsenal instead opted to sign Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on loan.

Garcia helped Espanyol to promotion from La Liga 2 in the 2023-24 season, keeping 12 clean sheets in the 21 matches he played.

He started all 38 of Espanyol’s La Liga fixtures during the 2024-25 campaign, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 51 times. The promoted side finished 14th in La Liga, two points clear of the relegation zone.

Wojciech Szczesny finished the 2024-25 season as Barcelona’s first-choice goalkeeper, having come out of retirement to join the club after captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious right knee injury in September. He returned to action in May, while Szczesny has been offered a two-year contract extension.

‘A no-brainer for Barcelona’

Analysis by Thom Harris

It isn’t often a goalkeeper stands out quite like this, but Joan Garcia’s relentless miracle-working last season made his progress impossible to ignore.

Not only was the 24-year-old the shot-stopper with the most saves to his name last season — preventing over eight goals based on the quality of shots he faced — he also claimed the most crosses and took the most touches. He was busy, and a huge reason as to why his boyhood club Espanyol remained in the Spanish top flight for another year.

Garcia managed eight clean sheets last season — not to be dismissed while playing for the fourth-leakiest side in the division when considering their expected goals conceded — keeping four of those after having made five or more saves. He produced seven in a dramatic 1-0 win over Real Madrid, a ludicrous stop at his near-post to deny Rodrygo early on helping to set the tone.

Rapid reactions and reflexes have helped Garcia to catch the eye this season, but he is comfortable with the ball at his feet too. Still extremely young in goalkeeper years, it feels like a no-brainer for Barcelona to make the move.

Where does this leave Ter Stegen?

Analysis by Pol Ballus

With Joan Garcia landed, the domino effect with Ter Stegen is on. Barcelona plan to make Garcia their starting goalkeeper, and now it’s time for the 33-year-old to decide what to do ahead of the new season.

Ter Stegen is under contract until 2028, but Barca are looking to offload the goalkeeper and his salary. As much as he is perfectly entitled to stay, the German has now 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 next season he does not have a regular involvement, this will be under threat.

The Joan Garcia signing also shows the ruthless approach Deco plans to take regarding the assembling of the new squad. The sporting director felt the best way to let Ter Stegen know he is not that needed anymore was to bring his replacement in. The fact Ter Stegen has been the club captain for the past season, as well as the longest-servant in the current squad, has not played much of a role in Deco’s decision making. He feels the best for the club was to sign Garcia and get rid of Ter Stegen, and he seems determined to fulfil the task.

Club sources admit they are aware Ter Stegen can do what he wants, including being entitled to stay at the club for the remainder of his contract. But now it’s time to see how the German takes on that challenge, which are his priorities and if he believes he has what it takes to challenge for the number one spot.

(Photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

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