Barcelona pay Joan Garcia’s €25 million release clause; official announcement imminent | OneFootball

The saga is over. Barcelona have officially paid the release clause for Joan Garcia, making the goalkeeper a new player for the club, with only an official announcement now pending, reports Carlos Monfort of SPORT.

Legal representatives of the goalkeeper completed the payment of €25 million plus inflation adjustment to La Liga, officially severing his ties with Espanyol.

The official announcement will be made soon as confirmed by Victor Navarro, and Garcia’s presentation will likely take place once he returns from his holidays.

Barcelona completed the operation with remarkable speed. In just two weeks, the club reached a six-year agreement with Garcia and activated his clause.

Although the club initially planned to finalise the process on Wednesday or Thursday, administrative delays meant the transaction took slightly longer, but the payment was successfully made.

Joan Garcia set to sign for Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

There were no negotiations with Espanyol, who will receive the funds in the coming hours and must transfer the player’s registration to La Liga.

At the goalkeeper’s request, Barcelona accelerated the process, as Garcia wanted the move finalised as soon as possible. He had already signed his contract before going on holiday and had committed to Espanyol to ensure the transfer would be completed before 30 June.

Garcia’s signing is one of the most significant moves of the summer – not only because of the symbolic weight of transferring from Espanyol to Barcelona but also due to the major shake-up it signals in the club’s goalkeeping department.

The 24-year-old will now be Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper in this new project. Wojciech Szczesny will serve as his backup, while Marc-Andre Ter Stegen must either find a new club or accept a season on the bench if he chooses to stay.