Arsenal were close to signing winger from UCL club, Racing director reveals
Racing Santander sporting director Chema Aragon has revealed that Arsenal were close to signing Real Betis winger Pablo Garcia before the transfer deadline.
The 20-year-old spent his entire career with the La Liga outfit, but he was sold to Racing on deadline day after they agreed a £4.7 million deal for 50 percent of his ownership.
In a press conference yesterday (via COPE), Aragon revealed that Arsenal were on the cusp of landing the Betis winger on a permanent deal and Racing planned to negotiate a loan thereafter.
However, things quickly changed on Tuesday. The newly promoted La Liga outfit negotiated a high sell-on clause to secure the Spaniard from Betis, who are back in the Champions League this term.
He said: “It seemed like it was a done deal with Arsenal, and then we were also going to come in on loan, but yesterday things changed.”
Arsenal tried to sign Garcia in a surprise deal
The 20-year-old is primarily a right winger by trade, but he started the season on the left wing and scored a late winner against Valencia as a substitute.
Despite this, Betis sanctioned his sale amid his desire for more playing time. Arsenal recently played a friendly against the Andalusian club, where Garcia impressed on the right flank.
The youngster completed 100 percent of his dribbles (3/3), creating two scoring opportunities. Garcia also missed a big scoring chance, but it appears he caught the eye of the Gunners.
Arsenal may have tried to sign him permanently for a higher fee with a lower sell-on clause, but Racing’s proposal was more lucrative for Betis (50 percent sell-on), since they would receive a huge profit if the Spaniard goes on to secure a bigger move.
In any case, the Gunners had planned to loan him out rather than consider him as a first-team option. Journalist David Soria claims that Getafe would have been the likely destination.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
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