Barcelona make first bid in hopes of landing Eric Garcia
Barcelona keen to bring back former academy player.
With all the attention on which striker Barcelona are going to sign, the club have shifted gears somewhat in hopes of improving the back line.
According to Sport, the Catalans have sent their first bid to Manchester City as they look to sign former La Masia defender, Eric Garcia.
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The report states that Barcelona have sent a bid of eight million euros with two million in add-ons that would bring the bid to €10 million.
Manchester City are likely to reject that offer and Barcelona are not willing to spend any higher than €15 million.
However, City will need to lower their asking price. Garcia has one year left on his contract and has already informed the club that he will not sign an extension.
City need to sell him this transfer window if they don’t want to risk losing him without receiving any sort of transfer fee. He will be free to negotiate with other clubs come Jan. 2021.
Barcelona want Garcia to be the pillar in a new-look defense.
Barcelona know that they need to revamp their defense and believe signing Garcia would be a significant first step. Gerard Pique, who Garcia would essentially be replacing, is 33 years old and on his last legs.
Pique was one of the names implied by the club president as one of the veterans who could have possibly left the club.
That appears unlikely at this point but Barcelona recognize that they cannot make the same mistake of waiting to sign a replacement until it’s too late. A mistake that has proven costly since the likes of Xavi and Iniesta left.
Should Barça not come to an agreement with City, then they will wait until the following season when they can sign him without having to pay anything to City.
Next. Barcelona’s saviour will renew his contract in 2022. dark
The 18-year old joined left for Manchester back in 2017 and has had a breakout year this season under Guardiola. His rejection of a new contract left many at his club stunned. Barcelona now await a response from City and will keep on negotiation up until the start of the new season.