'Negotiating' - Agent confirms £21.1m Arsenal transfer offer for player valued at £674,000

Arsenal are said to have made a big bid to land a replacement for number two goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the final stages of the summer transfer window. The Gunners sold Ramsdale to Southampton for £18million upfront with an additional £7million included in add-ons.

With David Raya the undisputed number one, the Gunners wanted to add competition behind the Spaniard, ultimately settling for Bournemouth keeper Neto on a loan deal. Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia was a target throughout the summer, with the 23-year-old having emerged as one of the most talented young keepers in Spain.

Espanyol chief Fran Garagarza said after the window: “There have been movements. We have had to work hard. There have been conversations, situations to work through. Situations to handle. We are dealing with a great goalkeeper, but we are also dealing with a great person. His behaviour, his poise, his harmony and his tone of voice… for me, he’s top 10. That’s what I’ll take from him.”

On the back of those comments, Garcia’s agent Andy Bara has confirmed that Garcia was the subject of a very big offer from Arsenal ahead of the deadline closing. Speaking on Podcast Inkubator this week: “No one is really paying attention to that. I have a goalkeeper in Espanyol, Joan Garcia, I’m his agent, and on Transfermarkt I think his value is €800.000 (£674,000).

“I had an offer from Arsenal on deadline day for €25m (£21.1m), we were negotiating the whole week about that but Espanyol didn’t want to let him go.”

Garcia has a release clause worth €30m (£25.2million), which means Arsenal were £4.1million short of guaranteeing themselves the chance of signing Garcia, assuming the keeper would have accepted the move. But Espanyol were able to reject the lower offer and keep hold of their starting stopped for their first season back in La Liga.

It has been a solid start from the Catalan side too, with Garcia and his teammates having picked up seven points from their first five games, currently sitting 10th.