Sponsor appears to confirm 24-year-old star has now joined Barcelona as they share congratulatory post before official announcement

Barcelona target Joan Garcia's move to the Catalan club from arch rivals Espanyol appears to have been confirmed by the goalkeeper's sponsor. As per SPORT via Barca Universal, Rinat Europa, the company whose gloves Garcia wears, made a social media post about the move.

They put out a social media post congratulating the 24-year-old for the move but did not reveal Barcelona as the destination. Instead, they claimed that the Spaniard is set to join ‘one of the best teams in the world’. They wrote:

​

“Joan Garcia congratulations friend!! What a pride to have spent this journey with you until you reached one of the best teams in the world."

They also shared another update on X (formerly Twitter) where they included Barca's hashtag. They posted:

​

"Being a goalkeeper is more than just a love of football. Everything makes sense when the cry of a goal is drowned out. Today you show why you were born to fly without wings. Congratulations on this great leap, Joan García! #RINAT #RinatOficial #Barca #Porteros #Goalkeeper @RinatEuropa"

Joan Garcia has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the last few months following a brilliant season for local rivals Espanyol. He was named in La Liga Team of the Season last time out despite his team finishing 14th.

Garcia came through Espanyol's youth ranks and has made 67 senior appearances for the club, keeping 21 clean sheets while conceding 72 times. He has a €25 million release clause in his deal, which Barca need to trigger to make the deal go through.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta urges long-serving player to make room for new signing

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reportedly urged German keeper Marc-André ter Stegen to leave the club in the summer. As reported by El Nacional, the Catalan giants are set to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol as their new number one in the summer.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, they have already agreed personal terms with Garcia and now need to pay his €25 million release clause. With Garcia set to join, they are looking to offload ter Stegen who has been a reliable servant for the club for more than a decade.

The Germany international joined Barcelona in 2014 from Borussia Monchengladbach and has won 17 trophies. He has made 422 appearances for the Catalan giants, keeping 175 clean sheets and conceding 416 times.

​