Arsenal are facing transfer competition from Barcelona for the signing of talented Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta’s side were strongly linked with a move for Garcia last summer and had a €20 million (£16.5m) offer rejected in the closing stages of the window.
Arsenal instead signed Neto on a season-long loan from Bournemouth but have kept tabs on Garcia’s development in La Liga as they plot another bid this summer.
While Espanyol held firm on their valuation last time around, the Spanish side are somewhat resigned to losing one of their key players this time given that Garcia has a €25m (£20.7m) release clause in his deal.
And the 23-year-old recently hinted at his potential departure from the club in the summer and said he will try and leave Espanyol in ‘the best way’.
‘At the moment I’m not thinking about that [future], but you never know. If it happens, let it happen in the best way,’ he told Estadio Deportivo.
‘If in the end it turns out that I have to leave, how can I not say goodbye well? Espanyol are the club that has given me everything. If I go through the back door, it wouldn’t go well.’
However, Arsenal are not expected to have a free run at Garcia’s signature, with reports in Spain suggesting that Barcelona are also plotting a move.
The Catalan giants are reportedly looking to install a new first-choice keeper at Camp Nou with the ageing Marc-Andre ter Stegen still out on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
Inaki Pena has filled the German’s boots for the majority of the season but has been out the side for the past month with Wojciech Szczesny handed the starting berth.
The Pole had retired after leaving Juventus in the summer but reversed his decision to sign a short-term deal with Barcelona following Ter Stegen’s injury.
Barcelona and Arsenal could also be in a race for the signature of in-form striker Alexander Isak, with reports linking both clubs with a move for the Newcastle forward.
Isak scored a brace against Nottingham Forest at the weekend to take his tally to an impressive 19 goals in 24 Premier League games this season.
The Swede is likely to command a hefty fee in the summer, though, with Newcastle said to have slapped a £160m price tag on their prized asset.
Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Isak, while Liverpool have been urged to consider joining the race as they consider a replacement for the inconsistent Darwin Nunez.
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