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FC Barcelona have joined the race for Manchester United target Joan Garcia.
The Red Devils have continued to struggle to find consistency in their goalkeeping department this season with the erratic form of both Andre Onana and Altay Baynidir.
The Cameroonian has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Although, there have also been significant reports to suggest that United are not looking for a replacement for the former Ajax man.
Nonetheless, it seems that United’s number two, Bayindir, will look to leave in search of first team football and Ruben Amorim’s side have been linked to a move for Espanyol’s Joan Garcia.
Problematically, so have half of the Premier League as Arsenal, Aston Villa and AFC Bournemouth have all been credited with an interest in signing him.
Spanish newspaper AS also claim that United could yet face another obstacle in their pursuit of Garcia as Barcelona have now joined the fray.
The outlet states “although Arsenal remains in pole position, Barcelona are keeping an eye on the Espanyol goalkeeper, the best in Europe for making saves.”
Garcia has been in fine form and he has made the second most saves in Europe and the most in La Liga this season.
The paper claims he is “the object of desire for almost the entire football world” with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid all reportedly keeping tabs on his progress.
Barcelona see him as an exciting prospect for the future considering that both Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-André Ter Stegen are over 33 years old.
One thing that could work in Garcia’s suitors’ favour is that Espanyol allegedly “urgently needs to agree to a transfer before June 30th for at least €15 million, which would be needed to avoid closing the 2024-25 financial year with losses.”
Acquiring the 24 year old will not be easy however, as the Gunners have reportedly had a €20 million bid knocked back for him. There is also acceptance that it will be challenging to convince Espanyol to sell to their city rivals when they have numerous other options to choose from.
Garcia is likely to be in action tonight versus Barcelona in the league and will no doubt be eager to prove his worth with the world watching.
The Peoples Person has already commented on how Garcia’s blend of modern and traditional keeping abilities would make him a perfect upgrade on Onana in the United goal.
Featured image Alex Caparros via Getty Images
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