Espanyol Sporting Director denies Barcelona interest in Joan Garcia

Espanyol Sporting Director Fran Garagarza has said that he is not aware of any interest from Barcelona in their star goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The 24-year-old goalkeeper looks set to make a big move this summer, with a number of Europe’s elite weighing up activating his €25m release clause.

However if there is one side that Espanyol do not want him to go to, it is Barcelona. Recent reports state that the Blaugrana have stepped up their interest in Garcia, have now reached an agreement in principle with the player. Their plan is to loan him to Valencia next season, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen remaining as number one.

However this news has been dampened by Los Pericos. Manager Manolo Gonzalez explained that he would be surprised if Garcia did, rightly or wrongly, cast himself as a traitor in the Catalan derby.

“I know he has strong feelings for the club. I’m not in his head, but I would be very surprised if he went to Barca. Because they have Ter Stegen and because they’re our eternal rival, I would be very surprised… But I’m not in anyone’s head, and I don’t know what he’ll do. I won’t tell him anything. If someone pays the release clause and he wants to, there’s nothing to be done. What I’ve told him is to think carefully because what he has to do now is play,” Gonzalez explained to RAC1, as quoted by MD.

His advice to Garcia, bearing in mind ter Stegen’s position and Barcelona’s reported plan, could well be taken as an indication not to go to their rivals.

“What I want is for him to go somewhere where he can play and be happy. To be a top player. Not to go somewhere where there’s a veteran goalkeeper who overtakes him because of his name. He has to keep playing and be a starter. I hope he makes his choices wisely and doesn’t just go with the name or the money.”

The following day, in an interview with Cadena SER this time which was also quoted by MD, Sporting Director Garagarza explained he had no knowledge of Barcelona’s interest.

“We have no knowledge of that, obviously not. What is true is that he’s the goalkeeper who has made the most saves in La Liga, and for me, he’s the goalkeeper who has given us a high percentage of our success in relegation.”

Garagarza confirmed Espanyol had no intention to negotiate, and would be demanding his full €25m release clause.

“It’s going to be the clause. But the argument is very simple: the player’s value. The player is worth it. If he had a higher clause, he’d also have that value. If we look at the transfers that have taken place with goalkeepers at our level, they’ve paid that much and more. We don’t have to consider things other than that. It’s not asking for more than he’s worth, but the opposite. For me, the kid has exceptional value.”

Los Pericos will have been disappointed on Monday, both on a personal level, and a business level. Garcia had a clause in his deal meaning that his release clause would rise by €5m if he were to be called up by Spain, but Luis de la Fuente has left him out of his squad for the Nations League final four, despite being arguably the best of the lost through this season.