Manchester United have reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García, as per Spanish outlet Sport.
After letting David de Gea and Dean Henderson leave the club, the Red Devils opted to revamp the goalkeeping department by signing Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir ahead of last season.
The Cameroonian has been the first choice option and the Turkish international has been the backup. However, Onana endured an error-ridden debut campaign last term and has continued to look shaky this season.
On the other hand, Bayindir hasn’t been able to push Onana for the first-team spot and has been out injured in recent weeks.
Now, Sport state that Man Utd have started exploring options to sign a new goalkeeper and have expressed their interest in García. They have even ‘sounded out” the details of finalising the deal.
Battle
The player has a £25m release clause in his current contract and Espanyol are ready to sell the player in a cut-price deal. However, purchasing the Spaniard won’t be easy as Arsenal are also in this race.
They made a formal approach to hiring him last summer but couldn’t manage to agree on a deal in principle with the Catalan side. Despite failing to hire him last time around, Arsenal remain keen on signing the 23-year-old and have been in contact with the player’s representatives for almost a year. So, they are ahead of United in this race.
Moreover, PSG and Barcelona are interested in him as well but Espanyol have no intention of giving the Blaugrana any discount due to the rivalry between the two sides.
After helping Espanyol gain promotion last term, Garcia has been playing a key role in his side’s quest for survival in La Liga this season, keeping four clean sheets with a 72% saving rate. He even managed to keep clean sheets against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Garcia is a talented shot-stopper and would be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal or Man Utd if either club purchase him. But, considering David Raya’s presence at the Gunners, he might not be able to play regularly if he were to move to the Emirates Stadium. Therefore, the 23-year-old might be better off joining Man Utd over Arsenal.
