Bundesliga giants to rival Arsenal for Spain international | OneFootball

Joan Garcia is expected to receive a flood of transfer offers at the end of the 2024/25 season as Espanyol battle against relegation.

The Catalan side produced a shock win away at Europe-chasing Rayo Vallecano, to boost their hopes of survival, with a five-point gap now in place above the drop zone.

However, if they are relegated, Garcia looks almost certain to move on and staying in La Liga does not guarantee his future either.

Premier League side Arsenal have been heavily linked with Garcia – who received a debut call up to the Spain senior squad last month – with the Gunners pushing to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s plan is to have strong cover in each position in 2025/26 and he wants Garcia as back up to fellow Spaniard David Raya.

Image via Cordon Press

Arsenal reportedly made a move for Garcia late in the summer transfer window, but by that point, Espanyol made it clear a deal would only be possible if the 23-year-old’s full release clause was paid.

No further interest emerged in January with Arteta happy to wait until June to make a renewed push and Arsenal have already held talks with his representatives.

The latest update indicates Arsenal want to secure a deal just below his €25m release clause and the clause will also drop to €15m if Espanyol are relegated.

However, they will not be unopposed in the race for Garcia, with reports from German outlet Bild claiming Bayer Leverkusen will also make an offer.

Xabi Alonso is preparing to remain in place at the BayArena for the 2025/26 campaign and he wants to strengthen his squad to challenge Bayern Munich once again.

That could trigger a transfer battle between two old pals as Arteta and Alonso fight it out to secure a transfer target despite their long standing friendship stretching back to childhood in San Sebastian.