Joan Garcia's reasons for betting on Barça

One of the summer's soap operas is about to be finalized. Joan Garcia, the 24-year-old Espanyol goalkeeper, has already agreed to a five-year contract with Barça . The agreement in principle was reached this Tuesday, as reported by La Vanguardia . The deal will be formalized early next week, once Barça pays LaLiga the €25 million buyout clause.

The Sallent-born goalkeeper's decision to join Espanyol's eternal rival is based on three reasons: he is very close to his family, and the possibility of staying in his hometown has played a significant role. Furthermore, Barça offers him international exposure that puts him closer to the Spanish national team. Finally, the offers he had from the Premier League—such as Newcastle—didn't quite convince him. He also received approaches from teams such as Manchester City, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and Arsenal, but without any firm offers like the one Barcelona made him, with Deco, who began talks with him and his agents three months ago.

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Regarding the criticism he may receive from Espanyol's entourage, Joan Garcia is aware of the impact his decision will have. Those close to him acknowledge that he has been distressed by the amount of criticism he has received on social media. However, he listened closely to his family and agents before making the decision, and ultimately prioritized his professional career.

The conversations Deco has been talking to the Sallent goalkeeper for three months.

The Barcelona office is breathing a sigh of relief with the Sallent goalkeeper's approval. Although the goalkeeping position wasn't a concern this season, the sporting directors, led by Deco, do consider Joan Garcia to be one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga . The fact that his release clause, set at €25 million—which could have been €15 million had Espanyol been relegated—didn't rise to €30 million, given that coach Luis de la Fuente hasn't called him up for the Nations League finals, also made him a market opportunity they didn't want to miss. It's worth noting that this clause will increase to €30 million during the last 15 days of the transfer window. But that won't happen.

Financial fair play Barça, which is banking on Joan Garcia and Szczesny, will speak with Ter Stegen when the deal is finalized.

Joan Garcia will join a team that, for now, has two goalkeepers under contract. The first is Alicante native Iñaki Peña, who, as this newspaper explained, is looking for a team with European potential so he can continue to grow. He is attracted by offers from Betis and Galatasaray. Iñaki Peña's year has not been easy and has been marked by many ups and downs. He began as a starter after Ter Stegen's injury, but subsequently lost prominence with the arrival of Szczęsny, who has already informed the club that he agrees to renew for one year with an optional additional contract to become the second goalkeeper.

Joan Garcia joins Barcelona as a starter. He will compete for the spot with Ter Stegen, who has a contract until 2028. Club sources acknowledge that the next step will be to speak with the German, who has been with Barça for 10 years, to explain the new situation and open the door for him to leave, although they see it as difficult. His departure is of interest, above all, for financial reasons. The German has one of the highest salaries in the squad, and Barça needs to reduce its sports salary bill , which exceeds 510 million euros after Lamine Yamal's contract renewal.

In addition to the 100 million euros the club will earn from the VIP seats —provided the auditor and LaLiga validate them, something they hope will happen before the end of June—there is also an exit plan outlined with the loan of Ansu Fati to Monaco and the transfers of Pablo Torre and the aforementioned Iñaki Peña. Joan Garcia has been assured verbally—and will also be assured contractually—that there will be no problems registering him.