Barcelona are in the process of planning their squad for next season, and while recent summers have shown that those plans do not always come off, they have made their mind up on one of their promising defenders. On loan at Girona, Eric Garcia may well have played his last game for the club.
Reports that Barcelona are interested in activating their buyback clause on Chadi Riad, who is currently on loan at Real Betis, mean that minutes in central defence will once again be at a premium next season. Inigo Martinez seems to be a fix, and although Barcelona may be tempted to sell one of Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde, the likes of Pau Cubarsi and Mikayil Faye are also pushing in the Barca Atletic side.
Yet it leaves no place for Garcia. He has looked strong and capable in the Girona side which is joint-top of La Liga, renewing hopes that he could be back on track to become a top-level defender. Sport say Barcelona are pleased with this, and will look to make a profit off of Garcia as a result. His price tag will be set at €15m.
Garcia arrived on a free from Manchester City in 2021, and struggled to assert himself in the first team. By the time next summer rolls around, Garcia will have two years left on his deal, if they do not see him being a starting prospect, then 2024 is the time to sell him. Given the way Girona are playing, and the job Michel Sanchez is doing with his players, it seems unlikely he would have a chance to raise his value more so anywhere else.
