Barcelona reach agreement in principle over five-year contract with top target | OneFootball

In a major update, Albert Masnou of SPORT reports that Joan Garcia is set to become Barcelona’s new goalkeeper next week, barring any last-minute surprises.

After overcoming several hurdles, the Spaniard is now set to join the Barcelona first-team squad and will start with a strong chance of becoming the regular starter.

Agreement reached

Barça have already reached an agreement in principle with Garcia on a five-year contract, and the deal is expected to be completed in the coming days with the payment of his €25 million release clause.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper has given the green light to the La Liga champions’ offer, seeing it as the best option both in sporting and financial terms. The sporting department, led by Deco, worked intensely to prevent a move to the Premier League.

For Barcelona, Garcia represented a major market opportunity. His €25 million release clause made him affordable, and the club accelerated their plans to reshape the goalkeeper position to ensure he did not slip away to England.

Coming to Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Initially, there was discussion about loaning him out to a third club, but neither Garcia nor his camp were in favour. He has signed to compete for the No. 1 spot from day one.

The decision was not easy for the player, due to the emotional weight of moving from Espanyol to Barcelona. Both Garcia and his entourage had doubts.

What proved decisive was Barça’s clear commitment to signing him, combined with the fact that some of the more attractive Premier League options failed to materialise as expected.

The next step for Barcelona will be to pay Garcia’s release clause and make the transfer official. While this could happen by the end of this week, it is more likely to be finalised next week, as the Espanyol ace is currently on holiday and Deco is also away from Barcelona.

Garcia arrives with the full backing of manager Hansi Flick and the Barça sporting department. The club views him as a long-term signing.

Barcelona would be open to moving on from Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but the German does not plan to leave. If he chooses to stay, he has been informed of the situation and will have to compete for his place in the team.