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The 20-year-old was the Catalans’ main transfer target but the Spain international is still at the Etihad due to the Blaugrana’s colossal debts
A penny for Eric Garcia’s thoughts at the moment … although that might be too much for Barcelona, given the current state of their finances.
In July, the Catalans made Manchester City center-back their main transfer target. Six months and two transfer windows later, he is still at the Etihad.
The 20-year-old could hardly have done more to facilitate a return to his childhood club.
He has pushed back City’s attempts to extend a contract that expires on June 30 and, according to Barca presidential candidate Victor Font, even offered to play for free until the end of the season in hopes of securing a return. in January in Catalonia.
Yet he is still stuck in Manchester. Despite being considered one of Europe’s most promising young defenders, he languishes as a fifth-choice center-back at City, forced to watch La Liga games on TV in his downtown apartment. .
And that’s how he might be forced to watch the European Championship too.
Garcia’s hopes of being included in the Spanish squad for this summer’s tournament are now in serious jeopardy, given that he is unlikely to see much first-team football by June.
Barca’s inability to strike a deal was mainly due to the fact that the presidential election, which was due to be held last month, will now take place in March.
A deal could have been made, but the candidates were at odds over whether to sign Garcia now or take him over for a free transfer this summer.
In that sense, Barca’s economic woes have also been a key factor in keeping Garcia at City, with Barca’s annual financial report revealing debts of € 1.2bn (£ 1.1bn / 1, $ 5 billion).
City have reportedly made Garcia available for a cut of € 3m (£ 2.7m / $ 3.6m), given he had just entered the final six months of his contract. This equates to less than 3% of the fees Barca paid to Atletico Madrid for Antoine Griezmann less than 18 months ago.
Font said signing Garcia in January was crucial as the club were unsure of securing a Champions League spot next season – which is obviously essential given their money issues.
However, his rival Joan Laporta was less enthusiastic. “If a player wants to go to Barca, he has to prove it,” he said. “And if he can come here for free in June, it’s hard for me to understand why we should give money to a competing club.”
As a result, interim president Carles Tusquets has been unable to strike a deal, despite coach Ronald Koeman’s request to make it happen.
Garcia, then, was left in limbo, his booming career allowed to stall. His development had already been hampered as it was, by injuries and the contraction of Covid-19.
It’s a bitterly frustrating situation for Garcia, who was at the heart of City’s defense in the Champions League quarter-finals just five months ago.
Indeed, he has only made three Premier League appearances this season, with Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake all currently ahead of him in the pecking order.
Therefore, it is difficult to see him playing many more meaningful minutes for Pep Guardiola before his contract expires at the end of the season.
Moreover, the question remains what kind of club will he join this summer. Will he get to a Barcelona who can still fight for titles?
Lionel Messi’s contract expires this summer and Koeman has admitted he’s not convinced the club’s all-time top scorer will still be at Camp Nou next season.
Indeed, Messi could very well end up moving in the opposite direction to Garcia, given the Argentinian’s interest in reuniting with former Barca boss Guardiola at City.
Moreover, while removing the 33-year-old’s colossal salary from the payroll may ease the pressure on Barca, their financial problems are so deeply ingrained that there is no guarantee that they will be able to. strengthen the team considerably over the summer.
Movements by superstars like Erling Haaland are pure fantasy at this point, with Barca likely to rely on swap deals and free transfers to bring in new players.
The Blaugrana could also be forced to take advantage of one of their other “untouchables” like Marc-André ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong or Ansu Fati. So, it would be understandable if Garcia is currently reconsidering his position.
After all, he’s a very talented young man who will interest many of Europe’s biggest clubs when he becomes a free agent this summer.
Of course, Garcia is still expected to return to the club he left for City at the age of 16. He was born in the Catalan capital and in a family loving Barça. He desperately wants to go home.
Barca would then have to count their blessings, given that they made such a mess of his return.
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