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Barcelona will prioritize a move by Manchester City center-back Eric Garcia over Lyon’s Memphis Depay after Gerard Piqué suffered a long-term injury, according to reports.
Coach Ronald Koeman was said to be eager to meet Depay, with whom he worked during his time as coach of the Netherlands, and Barcelona pulled out of a last-minute deal to sign him in September.
The Catalan team was expected to try again in January for Depay, whose contract with the Ligue 1 team expires next summer, but the financially troubled team is now shifting its focus to Garcia after losing defender Gerard Piqué to a injury to the cruciate ligament of the knee, according to Goal.
The problem generally gives a player a few months on the sidelines, meaning Koeman will need reinforcements at the rear, prompting the club to focus its efforts on Garcia, the report adds, with Barca chasing him for some time.
Multiple offers for the 19-year-old were rejected in the latest transfer window, with Manchester City valuing him higher than the £ 18 million offered, despite his own contract expiring at the end of the season.
Garcia, who started his career in Barcelona before moving to Man City in 2017, has confirmed that he has no intention of renewing his contract, and Pep Guardiola even admitted defeat in an attempt to convince him to compromise his future.
The defender said: ‘It’s true, I have told the club that I do not intend to extend my contract beyond 2021. I am focused on next season with City.’
Speaking about Garcia’s contract situation earlier this year, Guardiola said: ‘We want it (a renewal) but he doesn’t want to extend it, so I imagine he wants to play elsewhere.’
Barcelona have been plagued by financial problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic and are looking to cut their salary spending to secure the club’s future, dashing their hopes of aligning multiple transfer targets.
They will be looking to shed a handful of players to generate more cash for Koeman’s transfer budget in January, with Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite some of the stars having been discussed with a departure.
Should Barcelona improve their move for Garcia, they could look to sign Depay next summer, when they can sign him for free. Speaking last month, the 26-year-old admitted he was ‘pretty close’ to joining Camp Nou on the deadline.
“Yeah, it was pretty close,” he said. We don’t have to go into all the details, but in fact we were almost done. Unfortunately, certain rules stopped him. I believe that everything in my life happens for a reason. If it has to happen, it will happen. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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