Arsenal given huge encouragement in pursuit of key transfer target | OneFootball

Espanyol sporting director Fran Garagarza has admitted Arsenal target Joan Garcia could leave this summer even if a club does not trigger his release clause.

After selling backup goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale last summer, Arsenal set their sights on Garcia but were knocked back with a bid of €20m late in the window, ultimately sparking a loan move for Bournemouth's Neto instead.

With Neto's loan expiring in the summer, Arsenal are expected to reignite their interest in Garcia this summer. The 23-year-old's contract includes a release clause of €25m (£20.7m) which rises to €30m (£24.8m) in the final 15 days of the transfer window.

Asked whether Espanyol would only authorise Garcia's sale if a club triggered his release clause, Garagarza admitted he is happy to listen to reasonable bids as long as they come earlier in the window than Arsenal's summer approach.

"Is it clause or nothing? No," Garagarza told Pericos Marca. "In the summer window, with a call from Arsenal in the last week, it has to be that [clause].

"But if you get an offer on June 14 that isn't the clause but is close in fixed and variable amounts, Espanyol are not going to say no. We can't say no. If a club comes with €8m for Joan Garcia, that's a bad sale, 100%. But the important thing is to know what we would do with that money. We have to work on the line of succession."

Garcia has acknowledged that a summer departure from Espanyol would be best for everybody. The goalkeeper is keen to take the next step in his career and bring in a significant fee to help his current employers, who sit just one point above the relegation zone.