Barcelona are reportedly set to complete the signing of Eric Garcia, who will put pen to a five-year deal in the summer transfer window.
According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Eric Garcia is poised to seal his return to Barcelona in the summer transfer window. The Manchester City defender will sign a five-year deal with the Catalan giants, following comments over a summer exit by Pep Guardiola.
Eric Garcia joined Manchester City from Barcelona in the summer of 2017, having been one of the most promising academy stars of his generation at La Masia. Having arrived at the Etihad in search of a clearer pathway to the first-team setup, the player broke into the senior Manchester City squad just one year later.
Over the past two years or so, the 20-year-old has steadily grown in stature within Guardiola’s squad, with the former Barcelona manager rating him quite highly. At the same time, Garcia has also established a foothold within the Spanish national side. His progress has caught the attention of Barcelona, who have been keen on re-signing him for a long time.
In fact, there had been suggestions that the Blaugrana wanted Garcia last summer before a move failed to materialise. Since then, there have been constant links between the Spaniard and Barcelona, who have been reported to have agreed personal terms with the Manchester City man.
Guardiola, on his part, has publicly asserted his desire to keep hold of Garcia but has now gone on to admit defeat in that pursuit, with his latest comments suggesting that the 20-year-old is now set to make his way back to Barcelona. The Catalans’ interest in Garcia makes sense as well.
Gerard Pique is on the wrong side of 30 and in the twilight of his storied career, meaning Barcelona need to lay down the succession plan for him. While Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza have been quite impressive, especially the former, the fact that Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have blown hot and cold means Ronald Koeman can easily do with another centre-back.
Therefore, Garcia is a viable target for Barcelona and although there were suggestions that the controversy-riddled club had called off their pursuit of the player, he is now set to make his return in the summer.
Romano has claimed that Garcia will sign a long-term deal that will run through to the summer of 2026, with the move now a formality. What now remains to be seen is if Garcia does indeed return to Barcelona in the coming months, with his time at Manchester City coming to an end.
