Manchester City defender Eric Garcia is set to join Barcelona at the end of this season.
The highly talented centre back will be out of contract this summer, and he has not signed an extension with the Premier League club because of the lack of regular game time.
Garcia has been linked with a return to Spain for months now, and it seems that he’s finally getting his wish.
It will be interesting to see if he can hold down a regular starting berth at Barcelona next season.
The likes of Gerard Pique are in the twilight of their career, and the Catalan giants need to sign quality young defenders in the summer.
Garcia could prove to be a sensational long term investment, especially on a free transfer.
The defender is rated highly at Manchester City, but the Premier League club cannot provide him with the platform he needs to continue his development.
Manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed the impending transfer after his side’s Carabao Cup win over Tottenham yesterday.
Guardiola has often revealed that Garcia is an exceptional talent, but circumstances have prevented him from offering the youngster regular game time at Etihad.
Guardiola said: “Eric Garcia is one of my favourite players,” Guardiola recognised after City won the Carabao Cup final, a game the defender did not make the squad for. I would love to have 15 Eric Garcias. He’s not on the bench because I think he’s going to move to Barcelona.
“Eric Garcia is like a son. He was a guy last season that after the lockdown, was our best central defender. He never made a mistake and played in the quarter-final of the Champions League. He’s going to play in Barcelona, and that is not an average player – he is a top player. He was not selected in the last two games, and it broke my heart. That is why it is difficult for all the managers when you have a squad. You cannot imagine what it means.”
