Aston Villa are reportedly ‘very serious’ about the possible signing of Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer, and could be boosted by a reduction in his release clause.
The 24-year-old has caught the eye of a number of clubs from around Europe this season with his excellent form, as after coming through the youth ranks at Espanyol, he’s firmly established himself as a key figure in the senior side having now made 66 appearances.
READ MORE: No active talks over exit for influential Villa ace amid speculation over future
As he pushes to break into the senior Spain squad too, it certainly appears as though Garcia has a bright future ahead of him having emerged as a stand-out talent this year, but with the La Liga side struggling this season at the wrong end of the table, there could be an important decision ahead for his long-term future.
According to Sport, Villa have a very serious interest in the Spanish shot-stopper, particularly amid ongoing speculation over Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club after his emotional reaction at full-time after our win over Tottenham last Friday night in our final home game of the campaign.
It’s added that a string of other clubs in England and Spain are also keen on Garcia though, and so if our interest is genuine, we face stiff competition and will have to fend off some top clubs to convince the Spaniard to be part of Unai Emery’s project.
That race could be further intensified by the report above noting that if Espanyol are relegated this season, as they sit just two points above the bottom three heading into the final weekend of the campaign, Garcia’s release clause drops from €25m to €15m, and so that would surely make him all the more appealing to those credited with an interest in signing him this summer.
Much depends on Martinez’s future with Villa, as that will likely dictate whether or not we need to sign a long-term replacement ahead of next season, with Robin Olsen also expected to depart this summer when his contract expires.
In turn, Monchi and Villa’s recruitment team will likely be watching on closely to see what happens to Espanyol this weekend, and if we are forced into a major sale to help balance our books and address PSR concerns, Garcia could emerge as the ideal target to fill the void that Martinez may well leave behind if he is ultimately the sacrifice required.
What’s this all about why are the club even considering letting Martinez go, it total nonsense and completely unacceptable I’m thinking that we’ve lost the plot, and why would Martinez want to go to a club in serious decline and who are virtually bankrupt they are lucky that they weren’t relegated, this is the perfect way to create a massive backlash from the fans, personally I’m very disappointed in the club this is a retrograde step and will definitely come back to bite us, time for the club to come clean about this and tell the fans truthfully exactly what is going on, this could well be the end of an era and I want to know who’s decision this is, As a very long standing fan I have never head the likes and I can’t accept it