Barcelona defender Eric Garcia is coming to the end of his loan spell in Girona, a move that was unexpected until the final days of the transfer window. It looks as if he may well have played his last match for the Blaugrana though.
Girona are keen to hang onto Garcia next season, and will try to do so, although they are aware that he would cost between €15-20m, as per Relevo. That would make him their record signing, more than doubling the €7.75m they spent on Artem Dovbyk last season. For the Catalans, he would also be a flagship signing, someone expected to lead their defence in the coming years -the alternatives – Daley Blind (34), David Lopez (34) and Juanpe Ramirez (32) – are all ageing, and Antal Yaakobishvili (19) is still developing.
For his part, Garcia is keen to stay. Seeing that Pau Cubarsi has exploded onto the scene, only a series of departures would allow him to stay and receive the game time that he wants at Barcelona. The unknown is whether Barcelona will move for Aleix Garcia. The Girona captain has made it clear he would like to follow Oriol Romeu down the coast, and Barcelona are interested in him, but they are yet to make a move or communicate their intention to do so, be it to Girona or his agent. If they do, then it could change the negotiation for Eric (Aleix’s release clause is thought to be €20m), but the midfielder is not thought to be a priority for the Blaugrana.