Jarque collapsed suddenly at the team's hotel in Bologna, Italy where Espanyol were holding a pre-season camp.

"The Espanyol player died due to a systolic heart failure," a statement from Espanyol read.

"Doctor Cervera tried CPR on the player and used a defibrillator but said it was not possible to resuscitate.

"Within minutes, the first emergency ambulances arrived from Florence, and tried their defibrillators but again were unable to resuscitate."

New Captain

The Spanish defender, who played against Liverpool in the 3-0 friendly win last week, had his last training session with Espanyol on Saturday.

Jarque has been an Espanyol player since the age of 12 and was just handed the captain's armband by manager Mauricio Pochettino earlier this summer.

Following the tragedy, Espanyol decided to end their campaign in Italy, even though they were due to face Bologna on Sunday.