Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their efforts to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who could be allowed to leave the Spanish club for less than his release clause.
The Gunners pursued the Olympic gold medallist last summer as they sought to replace the wantaway Aaron Ramsdale, who eventually completed a deadline-day switch to Southampton.
However, Mikel Arteta's side were rebuffed by their La Liga counterparts, having failed to meet the €30m (£24.8m) release clause in his contract, which runs until the summer of 2028.
Instead, Arsenal made a stop-gap signing as they welcomed Neto on loan from Bournemouth, but they do not have the option to make the Brazilian's deal permanent and have apparently decided not to go down that road.
After trying and failing to secure Garcia's signature last summer, a recent report claimed that the Gunners were 'expecting' to land the 23-year-old this summer, and Espanyol director Fran Garagarza has now made a telling transfer admission.
Arsenal told Espanyol 'can't say no' to suitable Garcia fee
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Speaking to Pericos Marca - as quoted by Sport Witness - Garagarza insisted that Arsenal need not fork out Garcia's full release clause to sign him this summer, as the club would not be able to turn down a fee close to that amount.
"Clause or nothing? No. In the [last] summer window, with call from Arsenal in the last week, it has to be that [clause]," the Espanyol chief said.
"But if you get an offer on June 14th that isn't the clause but is close in fixed and variable amounts, Espanyol are not going to say no. We can't say no. If a club comes with €8m (£6.6m) for Joan García, that's a bad sale, 100%."
Arsenal apparently offered a sum of €20m (£16.6m) for the signature of Garcia last summer, which fell short of Espanyol's demands, but it remains to be seen if a similar bid will prove enough this time around.
As well as Neto, the Gunners also have youngsters Tommy Setford, Lucas Nygaard, Alexei Rojas and Jack Porter capable of backing up David Raya; Porter became the club's youngest-ever starter in September's 5-1 EFL Cup third-round win over Bolton Wanderers.
Who is Arsenal goalkeeping target Garcia?
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Garcia joined the Espanyol youth setup in 2016 and was promoted to the first team five years later at the age of 20, since when he has played 53 first-team games for the Spanish side while keeping 16 clean sheets.
The 23-year-old played a pivotal role in helping Espanyol return to the top flight from the Segunda Division last season, recording 11 shut-outs in 18 second-tier matches as Espanyol prevailed in the promotion playoffs.
Garcia - who stands at 6ft 3in tall - was recognised for his achievements with a spot in the Spain squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics, although he was an unused substitute during La Roja's run to the gold medal.
The Spain Under-21 international has only recorded three clean sheets in 24 La Liga appearances this season, but Espanyol are safe for the time being, sitting 15th in the table with a one-point gap to the relegation zone.
Ben Knapton
