Man United target Joan Garcia set to join FC Barcelona next week – Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Manchester United’s interest in Joan Garcia has been struck a deadly blow as the goalkeeper is set to complete a switch to Barcelona next week, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Garcia, 24, has emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe this season with a series of impressive performances between the sticks for Espanyol.

The Spaniard ranks highly across metrics for ‘traditional’ shot stopper while retaining excellent distribution and adroitness in possession – two demands modern football places on goalkeepers.

By contrast, the existing options in goal at Old Trafford – Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir – have endured miserable campaigns with both committing game-changing errors when picked by Ruben Amorim.

However, United executives have prioritised attacking reinforcements over defensive ones with the bulk of the summer budget set to be directed towards Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford).

A new goalkeeper is on the cards but it will be a cheaper option to replace Bayindir – expected to depart in search of more first-team opportunities – and challenge Onana, rather than provide an outright replacement for the Cameroonian international.

But this is why Garcia presented such an attractive opportunity to the Red Devils; and why his decision to join Espanyol’s Catalan neighbour is such a blow.

Garcia would face little trouble in displacing Onana as the number one at Old Trafford.

Yet his contract with Espanyol contains a release clause worth £21 million (though this will rise to £25 million by the end of the summer), meaning the 24-year-old could be signed at a price more in line with a ‘back-up’ option than a high-profile target, helping United to maintain their attack-heavy recruitment approach.

This cheap release clause has put a host of clubs on red-alert for Garcia, however.

Premier League rivals Arsenal and Aston Villa expressed an interested in the Spaniard, as well as Bournemouth, while Barcelona have planned to raid their neighbours to provide Hansi Flick with a new number one.

But it’s the Spanish giant who have emerged victorious with Garcia set to complete a switch to the Camp Nou “next week”, as Romano explains.

Tweet: “Premier League clubs now also aware of Joan García final decision: he will play for Barcelona. Move to be completed next week with €25m release clause to be paid, as @RogerTorello @ffpolo reported on MD. Contract until June 2030 agreed last week with his agents.”

Garcia’s intention to accept Barcelona’s advances has also been communicated to suitors in England, meaning it is back to the drawing board for United this summer as they plot how to fix the problem position in Amorim’s team.

Featured image Alex Caparros via Getty Images

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