Barcelona Secures Goalkeeper Joan Garcia in Record Transfer

Barcelona has completed the signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from local rivals Espanyol on a six-year contract. The Spanish champions activated Garcia's 25 million euro release clause, thus ending his long association with Espanyol, a club he joined at the age of 15.

The 24-year-old Garcia stood out during the 2024-25 LaLiga season, leading in total saves with 146. He was one of the two players who played every minute of the campaign, sharing the spotlight with Getafe's David Soria. Garcia's move to Barcelona means he will now compete with German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the starting position, especially after ter Stegen's partial absence due to knee surgery.

Barcelona's pursuit of Garcia follows their stint with Wojciech Szczesny, who was coaxed out of retirement to make 30 appearances in the club's domestic treble-winning season. Despite Barcelona's successful season, Espanyol struggled, finishing 14th in the standings. The currency conversion stands at $1 equating to 0.8697 euros.

(With inputs from agencies.)