Manchester City defender Eric Garcia has reportedly signed a pre-contract with La Liga giants Barcelona, with the transfer set to be announced imminently.
According to an update from reliable journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Manchester City defender Eric Garcia has already penned a pre-contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2026 and the transfer will be officially announced at the end of the current season.
Garcia came through the youth ranks at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy but left for Manchester City in the summer of 2017. The centre-back made his first-team debut for Pep Guardiola’s side in December 2018 and has since been in and around the senior squad even though game-time has not been coming his way on a regular basis.
Till date, the 20-year-old has managed to feature 33 times for the newly-crowned Premier League champions, chipping in with a solitary assist. Garcia’s future has been a subject of discussion for almost a year now with the defender having entered the final twelve months of his contract with Manchester City.
Rumours of a return to Barcelona had been doing the rounds last summer itself, but a move failed to materialise. Having stayed at Manchester City, Garcia has hardly featured this term, making just ten appearances across all competitions. However, the 20-year-old, who has seven caps for the Spanish national team is now on the cusp of completing a return to Camp Nou, as his contract nears expiry.
As per the update from Romano, Garcia has already signed a pre-contract with Barcelona as early as December last year. The Spaniard has put pen to paper on a deal that runs till the summer of 2026. And with the end of the season just around the corner, the free transfer is expected to be announced imminently.
Romano also clarifies that there were no other teams in the race to secure the signing of Garcia despite reports claiming that Arsenal and Chelsea were plotting a late swoop to hijack the deal. The 20-year-old wanted to sign only for Barcelona and the move has also been ratified by newly-elected club president Joan Laporta as well, with the official announcement the only thing that is pending.
The imminent signing of Garcia ought to come as a boost for Barcelona as they are in need of a long-term replacement for veteran defender Gerard Pique. In addition, the fact that he will cost them nothing in transfer fee will also come as good news given their current financial plight coupled with the need to reinforce other areas in the roster ahead of the 2021/22 season.