Espanyol sporting director, Fran Garagarza, has given the green light for Arsenal to make a new move for goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer.
Mikel Arteta’s side had a €20 million (£16.5m) offer for the 23-year-old rejected by Espanyol in the closing stages of the summer transfer window last year.
Arsenal ended up signing Neto on a season-long loan from Bournemouth as back-up to David Raya .
Garcia, who has been Espanyol’s first-choice goalkeeper this season, has a €25m (£20.7m) release clause in his deal with the Spanish club which is raised to €30m (£24.8m) in the final 15 days of each transfer window.
But Garagarza has told Arsenal that they do not need to meet Garcia’s clause in order to sign him this summer.
‘I have come here to work to give the club economic viability,’ Garagarza said in an interview with Pericos Marca.
‘That involves keeping us, a capital increase and a good sale. And then getting it right in what you are going to be able to bring. And then start to grow with very firm but very sure steps.
‘In the summer, with the call from Arsenal in the last week, we were forced to reject it.
‘But if a club comes to you on June 14 and offers you money that is not the clause but is close between fixed and variables, Espanyol is not going to say no. They cannot say no
‘Another thing is how we’re going to invest. A good sale does not imply that it should be because of his termination clause.
‘If a club comes with eight million for Joan Garcia, that would be a bad sale.’
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