With the winter transfer window now open in Spain, speculation over possible transfers is sure to ramp up, especially involving the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
The latter pair are unlikely to do any business this month, but for Barcelona, they at least look like they want to sign someone, despite their ongoing financial problems. Specifically, a midfielder is wanted by head coach Xavi Hernandez as cover following the season-ending injury suffered by Gavi in November.
At this stage, Barcelona’s top target is Aleix Garcia, who has been on incredible form this season for high-flying Catalan rivals Girona. The 26-year-old has undoubtedly been one of La Liga’s best players over the last few months, and club bosses at the Blaugrana are well aware of his quality, hence why measures are being made to sign him now.
However, Girona have no intention of allowing Garcia to leave this month, and they are referring any interested club – including Barcelona – to his release clause, which is €20m, although there has been suggestions that they believe that they can sign him for less.
Given their financial woes, Barcelona cannot afford to fork out €20m as an upfront payment, so other methods are being explored. One involves doing a swap deal involving multiple players, with Barcelona reportedly willing to allow Pablo Torre and Mikayil Faye to join Girona as part of a possible arrangement.
Torre is currently on loan at Girona, while Faye is rumoured to be a target for Michel Sanchez’s side. Given this, Barcelona firmly believe that they can tempt their local rivals into doing a deal that will involve Garcia heading to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
However, this possibility does highlight a lack of long-term planning at Barcelona. Both Torre and Faye are very highly-rated, and are expected to be future first team players, but club officials are willing to allow them both to leave on a permanent basis so that a 26-year-old midfielder can join – someone that is probably unlikely to be a regular starter when all of Xavi’s options are fit and available.
There’s no doubt that Garcia would be an excellent signing for Barcelona, but it should also be said that he won’t solve their midfield problems. A pivot is absolutely essential, and although he has played this role for Girona this season, he isn’t a natural in the role, and there’s no guarantee that he would be an effective in Xavi’s system, which isn’t as well-oiled as Michel’s.
For now, it remains to be seen how Barcelona approach their pursuit of Garcia. He’s undoubtedly a superb player, but he’s not essential for Xavi – and furthermore, he’s arguably not worth allowing two very talented young players to go the other way.
