Barcelona, June 18 (IANS) FC Barcelona have signed goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol. The club confirmed it had activated the release clause of 25 million euros to secure his signing. The player will sign a contract with the club for the next six seasons, until June 30, 2031, in a private ceremony at FC Barcelona’s offices on Friday.

Barcelona had signed Wojciech Szczesny, asking him to come out of retirement ahead of the 2025-25 season, and the Polish goalie became the first choice for Hansi Flick between the sticks after captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious right knee injury. Garcia can prove to be a solid signing and potentially be the Catalonians’ first choice in the years to come.

Born in Sallent de Llobregat, in the Bages region of Catalonia, the new Barca goalkeeper didn’t start between the posts. It wasn’t long before he followed in the footsteps of his older brother and picked up the gloves. That was the beginning of his path toward the elite. After leaving Sallent, he moved to Manresa and then to Damm, until Espanyol signed him at the age of 15.

During his time at Espanyol, he became a regular in Spain’s youth national teams from the U17 to the U21 level, and he has an Olympic gold medal from the 2024 Games in Paris.

With Espanyol, he made his first-team debut at the end of 2021, but it wasn’t until the 2023/24 season that he established himself as the starting goalkeeper, helping the team earn promotion back to the top flight.

He has just completed a fantastic campaign in La Liga, playing a key role in Espanyol’s survival. In numbers, he was the goalkeeper with the most saves in the league (146), and according to advanced statistics, the one who prevented the most goals in the entire competition.

His outstanding performances, combined with his exceptional potential at just 24 years old, have made him a target for many top clubs, including Arsenal, who opted not to pay his release clause and instead signed Bournemouth goalie Neto on loan in 2024.

–IANS

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