According to The Guardian, Manchester City defender Eric Garcia has agreed terms on a return to Barcelona despite interest from Arsenal.
It’s claimed that a five-year deal has been agreed, and the defender will make his return to Catalunya at some point in 2021.
Garcia started out in the Barcelona ranks but left for City in 2017, where he has played 30 first-team games under Pep Guardiola.
The 19-year-old snubbed a new long-term deal with City last summer, and Barcelona attempted to bring him back to the Camp Nou – but couldn’t afford to meet City’s asking price.
Garcia moves into the final six months of his contract today, meaning he can now sign a pre-contract agreement to leave the club in the summer, which seems to have happened already.
Guardiola was allegedly hoping that Garcia would have a change of heart, but a deal has been struck for him to re-join Barca.
Barca may now push to secure a January deal for Garcia, but they at least know they have him for next season and beyond having pounced early to get a pre-contract deal done.
The news may also be a blow for Arsenal, as The Sun recently claimed that Mikel Arteta wanted to bring Garcia to North London.
Arteta worked with Garcia at City, and a reunion could have helped Arsenal build a defence for the future, but their hopes have now been dashed.
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