Barcelona are set to sign Joan García after exercising the Espanyol goalkeeper’s €25 million ($28.9 million) release clause, a source has confirmed to ESPN.
Barça ordered the payment of the clause, which must be paid to LaLiga at first, on Friday, with the transfer expected to be finalised in the coming days.
The source said the league still need to clear the funds and validate the operation before the deal can be completed.
García, 24, has agreed a six-year contract with Barça, running until 2031, and arrives to strengthen a position which currently includes Marc-André ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczęsny and Iñaki Peña.
There was also Premier League interest in García — with Arsenal moving for the stopper last summer and Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Bournemouth all linked this year — but Barça have won the race for his signature.
Espanyol would have preferred not to lose him to their cross-city rivals but could do nothing to prevent the transfer as the €25m fee represents the release clause written into his contract.
García, born in Catalonia, joined Barcelona-based Espanyol in 2016 and progressed through the club’s academy, eventually making his first team debut in 2021.
He helped Espanyol win promotion to LaLiga in 2024 and featured in all 38 league games this season as the Pericos secured survival on the final day, earning rave reviews for some of his performances along the way, including in a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in February.
