Barcelona have identified Eric Garcia as a priority signing for this summer and are interesting in bringing him back amidst contract doubt.
According to a report published by Goal.com, Eric Garcia has popped up on the radars of Barcelona, who will be diving into the transfer market this summer looking for a new centre back.
Garcia joined Manchester City at the age of 17, moving from none other than Barcelona themselves. His move was pushed through by Pep Guardiola, aided by his good relations with the player’s agent, Carles Puyol. However, the Spaniard did not make his Premier League debut until about two years later when he came on for Nicolas Otamendi in the 8-0 thrashing of Watford in September 2019.
He has since gone on to make 13 league appearances including eight starts and has been a crucial part since Project Restart, having featured in the 3-0 win against Arsenal and the 4-0 win over Liverpool.
In the process, he has overtaken the likes of Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones in the pecking order, becoming the third choice centre back at the club. He is also giving Fernandinho intense competition and is in contention to start the Champions League return tie against Real Madrid.
Garcia may have only received his big breakthrough this season, but he has been knocking on Pep’s door for a couple of years now and had featured in the Carabao Cup last year against Leicester City,and Burton Albion.
The 19-year-old stands with merely a year left on his contract, and his recent development means that City want to tie him down at the club with a more significant, long-term commitment.
Standing in their way are Barcelona, who are interested in bringing him back to the club as Gerard Pique’s potential replacement. They are interested in signing him this year, but could wait till his term in England gets over and bring him in for free next year.
Barcelona are believed to have made Manchester City's 19-year-old Spanish centre-back Eric Garcia their top transfer target this summer.
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A return to his boyhood club could be enticing for the youngster who could be pushed down the priority list next summer now that the Manchester outfit are in talks to sign a centre-back – Nathan Ake is set to join them in a deal worth £41 million. Additionally, Garcia could be influenced by Guardiola, who has just another year left on his contract and has refused to comment on his future.
Guardiola has, however, spoken about Eric Garcia’s situation, saying, “I don’t have any updates. He has one more year on his contract, if Barcelona want him to, they must call him. We are going to try to convince him to stay here for many, many, many years. I am confident he will stay, but in the end, it is his decision. He knows we want him, but it was the same with Leroy.”
Eric Garcia moved to Manchester City because of Pep Guardiola, but this deal could go either way. However, both situations show benefits for the former Barca sensation, and thus, it will be engaging to see how this transfer story unfolds in the coming weeks.
