Arsenal at risk of £17m target's release clause shooting up on eve of transfer window

are expected to go after a goalkeeper to compete with this summer, and Espanyol star Joan Garcia has been on their radar for some time. The 23-year-old has earned rave reviews as he comes to the end of his first full season of football.

The Gunners won't want to splash too much cash on a player who may ultimately spend long spells out of the starting line-up. And Garcia has a relatively affordable release clause which is likely to see several clubs compete for his signature in the summer transfer window.

According to , Garcia's release clause currently stands at £17million. But that figure will rise to £21.3m at the point he receives his first senior Spain call-up, as per the terms of his Espanyol contract.

Garcia was part of the Under-23s squad that went to the Paris Olympics last summer, and he has been included on the preliminary list for the full-blooded Spain squad, but he is yet to feature in one of Luis de la Fuente's final squads.

After a brilliant individual campaign, it seems inevitable that Garcia will soon make that leap. Spain's next round of games will come at an unfortunate time for Arsenal. They take on France in the Nations League semi-finals on June 5, with the squad set to be named around a week in advance.

That means that Garcia's price rise could be activated immediately before the summer window opens for Premier League clubs on June 1. Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta will surely keep a close eye on De la Fuente's final list, given it could impact the club's summer spending plan.

indicate that Garcia's price tag would go up again if he is not snapped up before the final 15 days of the transfer window. The Gunners are therefore incentivised to act quickly once the market opens, with Bournemouth also of the stopper.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the Cherries' starting goalkeeper this campaign, but his astronomical wages will make a permanent switch from Chelsea unlikely once his season-long loan expires.

It remains to be seen whether the offer of regular first-team football at Bournemouth outweighs the glamour of playing for Arsenal, given that Garcia would have to fight his way past Raya to get into Mikel Arteta's starting XI.