'The interest in him is not going to stop' - Arsenal given hope in Joan Garcia chase after seeing bid rejected in summer as Espanyol director admits he could be sold in future

As the summer transfer window neared its end, Arsenal made a serious attempt to sign Garcia as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsdale, who left the Emirates. The Gunners made a formal €20 million (£17m/$22m) bid for the keeper but Espanyol quickly rejected the offer as they stuck to their demand of €30m (£25m/$33m) - the release clause amount in his contract.

In a last-minute move, Arsenal secured the services of Neto on a loan deal from AFC Bournemouth to fill the gap. However, if they decide to rekindle their interest in Garcia in the future, they might not be disappointed as Garagarza admitted to the possibility of selling him at "another time".

In an interview with AS, Garagarza admitted: "If you sense that there will be growth and performance, perhaps the current one could be a sale of a player without reaching completion. For this exercise, we have understood that Joan is an asset and that he is necessary to achieve the objective because he acts in a very specific position. We could not weaken there, we couldn’t. The interest in him is not going to stop. The time to sell Joan may be at another time.”

Garcia had primarily served as a backup goalkeeper during the previous season. However, once he was given the opportunity to play, the young goalkeeper made a significant impact as he recorded eight clean sheets and conceded only seven goals in 14 league games, helping Espanyol secure promotion to La Liga.

“Well, with Joan it is obvious that his talent lies there, even when he had to renew his contract because he was not playing, but we believed in him,” he said.

“His day-to-day life was of a very high level. Obviously, he took advantage of Pacheco’s injury and has taken the position. It is true that there is interest in him, but for us, he is an asset.”

Arsenal have a safe pair of hands in David Raya, whose heroics against Atalanta helped them earn a point. But with Neto signed only on a loan deal, it will not be surprising if the Gunners launch another effort to sign the goalkeeper whose contract with Espanyol runs until June 2028.