Arsenal may be in the market for a new centre back this summer, and they recently had hope of hijacking a deal.
The Daily Star reported earlier this month that Arsenal were on red alert over Manchester City defender Eric Garcia after hearing a move to Barcelona may not actually be happening.
It has long been expected that Garcia would re-join Barca with his City contract expiring this summer, but they allegedly changed the terms on their offer to him.
They allegedly wanted to pay the 20-year-old lower wages but with more bonuses, easing the financial strain on the cash-stricken Catalan giants.
Mikel Arteta is believed to be a ‘big fan’ of Garcia having worked with him at Manchester City, and Arsenal had hope of swooping in to sign him with his deal expiring, though the Gunners would have had to pay compensation.
However, Arteta’s hopes now appear to have been dashed by City boss Pep Guardiola, who spoke about Garcia’s future after Sunday’s Carabao Cup final win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Guardiola admitted to Sky Sports that he’s not picking Garcia at the moment because ‘he’s going to move to Barcelona’, and hopes he gets his big move.
Guardiola noted that the situation is ‘tough’ because Garcia is one of his favourite players, but feels that he is joining an ‘incredible team’ in Barca.
It looks like Arsenal won’t be able to hijack Barcelona after all, and Arteta will have to go back to the drawing board if he wants to sign a new defender.
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