Goalkeeper Joan Garcia will stay in his city of Barcelona and will not have to travel very far as he is moving a few kilometres from Espanyol to FC Barcelona.
Barcelona had several talks with the 24-year-old before activating his €25 million release clause.
Garcia had an outstanding 2024/25 season for Espanyol and, according to reports, was also on the radar of both Arsenal and Manchester United before Barcelona took the lead in the race for his signature.
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The Catalan giant has now confirmed the deal with the Spaniard, who signs a contract that lasts until the summer of 2031.
“FC Barcelona has activated the release clause of Joan Garcia. The cost of the clause was 25 million euros plus CPI,” it said in a club announcement.
“The player will sign a six-year contract in a private ceremony at Barcelona’s offices this Friday.”
What does this mean for Ter Stegen?
Garcia, who made his debut for Espanyol in 2021 and made 67 appearances for the club, kept eight clean sheets in 38 games last season. He could now be Barcelona’s new first-choice goalkeeper – which raises questions about Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s future.
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- Ter Stegen (32) has been linked with a move to Galatasaray this summer
- The German goalkeeper only played nine games in 2024/25 due to a serious knee injury
- He has a contract until 2028, but Barca seem to be betting on Garcia as the new number one
Szczesny also affected
Wojciech Szczesny, who kept 14 clean sheets in 30 games last season, is expected to be the second choice behind Garcia. Nevertheless, the experienced Pole could get a new contract at Camp Nou.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper hierarchy thus seems to be:⃣
1️Joan Garcia (new signing)⃣
2️Wojciech Szczesny
3️⃣ Ter Stegen (possible exit)
