Aston Villa set to trigger release clause of star player wanted by Arsenal and Manchester United

Aston Villa have identified Manchester United and Arsenal target Joan Garcia as a possible replacement for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke. The Spanish shot-stopper has been in fine form for Espanyol this season, registering seven clean sheets from 37 games.

The Red Devils have reportedly identified him as an upgrade on Andre Onana. The Cameroonian custodian has divided opinion since joining Manchester United from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023.

Speaking to Football Insider, O'Rourke suggested that Villa are ready to trigger Garcia's £21m release clause.

“Villa will be looking at a number of goalkeepers to replace Martinez, who will be leaving behind some big gloves to fill. They’re looking at the Espanyol goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, who obviously we know that Arsenal are very much interested in and Newcastle have also shown interest as well," said O'Rourke.

He continued:

“He has a £21million release clause in his contract, and we know how strong Villa are in the Spanish market, due to their connections with Unai Emery and Monchi. They’re maybe thinking that Garcia, rather than Kelleher, could be the number one target to replace Martinez if he does end up leaving Villa Park.”

Arsenal could be targeting Garcia as a possible replacement for Neto, who spent the campaign at the Emirates on loan from Bournemouth.

Have Arsenal and Manchester United suffered a setback in their pursuit of Viktor Gyokeres?

Arsenal and Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres has hinted that he could end up staying at Sporting. The Red Devils are eager to sign a new No. 9 after a disastrous campaign.

Manchester United have struggled for goals this season under both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese, interestingly, arrived from Sporting in November to take over from the Dutchman.

With Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee failing to impress, the Red Devils have identified Gyokeres as an upgrade for the position. The Swede rose to prominence under Amorim at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, and Manchester United are eager to rekindle that partnership at Old Trafford next summer.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are said to be hot on the heels of the 26-year-old as well. Gyokeres was recently asked by A Bola, as cited by the Mirror, if he preferred London or Lisbon. He said:

"I prefer Lisbon because I live here now. And yes, I like living here.”

The Swede has registered 53 goals and 13 assists from 51 games for Sporting this season.

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Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

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