Barcelona top target sets a key condition for summer transfer – report | OneFootball

Espanyol hero Joan Garcia is the goalkeeper that FC Barcelona have identified as their future, with the club making him a priority target for the summer.

Despite reports suggesting that the Blaugrana are currently leading the race for the 24-year-old Spaniard, his arrival at the club from their local rivals is far from straightforward.

Joan Garcia’s condition ahead of transfer

Indeed, according to Santi Ovalle on SER Deportivos, Joan Garcia has set a major condition ahead of his summer departure from Espanyol.

The Spanish shot-stopper wants to join a team where he can play regularly and be the first-choice keeper – something that directly conflicts with Barcelona’s current situation, as Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains the No. 1.

Garcia is not convinced by the idea of competing with Ter Stegen in the Barça squad, which will also include Wojciech Szczesny, set to renew for another season.

Decision time for Joan Garcia. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The ideal scenario for Barcelona would be for Ter Stegen to leave and for Garcia to take over, However, the club believes this is unlikely as the 33-year-old captain is reluctant to leave and his salary would pose a challenge to find any suitors.

As such, Barça are aware that the presence of Ter Stegen is a significant obstacle in their bid to sign Garcia even as they are prepared to pay his €25 million release clause.

Espanyol, for their part, do not want the move to happen late in the summer. To discourage that scenario, they have inserted a clause that increases the buyout fee from €25 million to €30 million if activated during the last week of the transfer window.

A resolution is expected by the end of this week or the beginning of next and it remains to be seen if Garcia chooses Barcelona and how it impacts the goalkeeping situation at the club.