Fabrizio Romano confirms Arteta’s worst fear about key Arsenal transfer target

Yep, Mikel Arteta can kiss goodbye to signing Joan Garcia now, as Arsenal waited too long. Fabrizio Romano confirms he's now a Barcelona player.

Mikel Arteta is a visionary genius. While his haters are quick to point to his lack of silverware, nobody can deny that he views football in a way that others simply could never. Not afraid to take risks and make experiments, to many people in his position, he is considered a pioneer.

However, such is the nature of being Arsenal manager, he isn't always given the financial backing to execute his plans. Sometimes it's the case, with the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but his luck at convincing the Arsenal board to spend some money was always going to run thin.

A big part of how Mikel Arteta operates his attack involves, ironically, the goalkeeper. David Raya is one of the finest distributors of the ball on the planet, but he needs backup.

Fabrizio Romano confirms Arteta’s worst fear about key Arsenal transfer target

One name who was once linked to backing up David Raya was Joan Garcia of Espanyol, seen by many as the natural successor to Aaron Ramsdale.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Joan Garcia is a Barcelona player. Romano claims that clubs in the Premier League are aware of this move made by Barcelona, and they will pay the goalkeeper's €25m release clause.

Barcelona are probably in much higher need of a goalkeeper than Arsenal are, to be honest. They have been looking for a long-term Marc Andre ter Stegen successor, with Arsenal legend Wojciech Szczesny simply acting as a stopgap (and a great one, at that).

Now, Arsenal must turn their attention to other options. Ideally, a backup that costs less than the €25m they would've had to pay for Joan Garcia. Finally, we can put those rumours to bed.

READ MORE ARSENAL NEWS HERE...