Chelsea have emerged as potential rivals to Arsenal in the transfer race to sign a £25m-rated player this summer.
Chelsea have conducted plenty of business with London rivals Arsenal over the years. It is not uncommon for them to be linked with the same individuals in the transfer rumour mill, too.
It’s been claimed that Arsenal could move for Chelsea flop Christopher Nkunku at the end of the season following a couple of difficult years for the attacker at Stamford Bridge. However, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca isn’t keen on selling Christopher Nkunku to Arsenal because he thinks it would be too risky
Chelsea now looking at Arsenal target Joan Garcia
Journalist Simon Phillips claims via Substack that Chelsea have added a couple of new names to their summer shortlist for the goalkeeper position.
First of all, the Blues admire Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, 22, because of his impressive form in Italy this season.
In addition, Phillips adds that Espanyol gloveman Joan Garcia is another new profile on Chelsea’s shortlist. The 24-year-old shot-stopper is on the Blues radar after a strong individual season in Spain.
| Appearances | Goals conceded | Clean sheets | Saves | Save percentage | Passing accuracy | Error led to goal | Average match rating |
| 37 | 51 | 7 | 141 | 73.4% | 66.8% | 2 | 7.14 |
The Independent reported earlier in May that Arsenal were ‘close’ to signing Spanish goalkeeper Garcia from Espanyol to challenge David Raya next season.
Meanwhile, journalist Guillem Balague claimed via X that Garcia is attracting interest from Arsenal, Newcastle United and Aston Villa. Also, he’s got a release clause in his Espanyol deal worth around €30m (£25m).
Chelsea will hold a goalkeeper review this summer when they examine the existing keepers at the club.
However, the addition of Garcia and Suzuki to the Blues shortlist suggests they may not be satisfied with what they have.
Robert Sanchez vs Joan Garcia
Even though it’s been an up and down season for him, Robert Sanchez has won the race to be Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper. It remains to be seen whether he will be the long-term starter, though.
Peter Crouch has belief in Robert Sanchez that he can grow into a top keeper for the Blues, but it does feel like he’s already fighting a huge battle to win over a sceptical fanbase because of past mistakes.
Here is a look at how Sanchez compares with Chelsea target Garcia in their respective leagues this season:
| Player | Competition | Appearances | Goals conceded | Clean sheets | Passes completed | Saves | Penalty kicks saved |
| Robert Sanchez | Premier League | 31 | 34 | 9 | 857 | 90 | 1 |
| Joan Garcia | La Liga | 37 | 51 | 7 | 873 | 136 | 2 |
It’s obvious that Garcia is a talented young goalkeeper with big potential, impressing for an Espanyol team fighting relegation in La Liga.
However, it’s worth pointing out that he’s still relatively inexperienced, playing only 66 first-team games in his club career to date.
