The heir to Ter Stegen... or Oblak? Atlético pushes for Joan García

Joan García, a 23-year-old goalkeeper from RCD Espanyol, was set to be one of the standout names of the summer market for FC Barcelona. The serious knee injury of Marc-André Ter Stegen has reopened the debate in goalkeeping, and although Wojciech Szczesny has more than fulfilled his role as the German's substitute and his renewal is imminent, the sports management is aware that they must secure the future of the goal for the medium or long term.

The Blaugrana entity trusts that Ter Stegen will return fully recovered and will be back to his best version, so they would be looking for a young and promising goalkeeper who would accept a secondary role behind the German once 'Tek's' journey in the Catalan City comes to an end, a profile that fits that of the Sallent de Llobregat native, whose contract with the perico team expires in June 2028.

García, valued at 10 million euros according to 'Transfermarkt', is one of the cornerstones of the white-and-blue team that is fighting for survival in La Liga, and his good performances in LaLiga have put him on Barça's radar, where they value his great present and, above all, his projection. His release clause is set at 30 million euros, but the Catalans would seek to lower this figure if they decide to pursue his signing.

Atlético de Madrid disrupts Barça's plans

However, Atlético de Madrid could thwart the operation for the Catalans. According to 'Mundo Deportivo', 'Cholo' Simeone is a great admirer of the goalkeeper and sees him as the perfect replacement for Jan Oblak. The colchoneros do not have urgency to incorporate him into their ranks, but they would like to secure Joan as a goalkeeper for the short-term future, so they have a plan to tie him down this summer.

From the offices of the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, they would launch for his signing at the end of the season, but they would be willing to leave him on loan for another year at Espanyol. This way, the pericos would receive a good amount of money and continue to count on one of their top figures for another season.

In favor of the rojiblancos is the fact that the white-and-blues would prefer to transfer García to any team other than Barça, and if this is combined with the possibility of having him under the three posts during the next season, the outlook is even more discouraging for the Catalans. For now, there are no concrete movements in the operation, but everything could unblock in the coming weeks, with Arsenal also keeping an eye on the future of Spain's most promising goalkeeper.