Barcelona have announced the signing of goalkeeper Joan García from city rivals Espanyol.. According to Bein Sport, the transfer is believed to be worth €26.34 million, with the 24-year-old shot-stopper signing a long-term contract until 2031.. This marks the first addition of the summer for head coach Hansi Flick, who led Barcelona to the LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup titles last season.. García will be unveiled at Barcelona’s offices on Friday and joins a goalkeeper unit that already includes Marc-André ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczęsny, and Iñaki Peña.. Born in Sallent, near Barcelona, García was one of the breakout performers of the 2024-25 LaLiga season. After youth spells at Sallent, Manresa, and Damm, he joined Espanyol at 15.. He featured regularly for Spain’s youth national teams and helped win Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games.. Also Read: Arsenal Get Tough Opening Six Fixtures Of 2025/2026 EPL Season. Although he debuted for Espanyol’s first team in 2021, he didn’t secure a starting role until the 2023-24 season, which saw the club earn promotion to the top flight.. This past campaign, Garcia was among the top goalkeepers in Spain, leading the league in total saves (145) and goals prevented, according to advanced metrics.. His performances attracted interest from several top European clubs, but Barcelona moved swiftly to close the deal.. Meanwhile, the transfer has not been well received by Espanyol supporters, who are frustrated by the departure of one of their stars to their biggest local rival.. Garcia would hope to help Barcelona retain the La Liga title and also a shot at next season’s UEFA Champions League.. The Catalans were just few minutes away from reaching the Champions League final but conceded in stoppage against Inter Milan which brought the score to 3-3 and took the game to extra-time.. During extra-time Inter scored the winner in first half extra-time and went on to win the second leg 4-3 and 7-6 on aggregate.
