Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona star Eric Garcia, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The 24-year-old started his youth career at the Catalan giant’s famous La Masia academy before joining Manchester City back in 2017. However, he decided to return to his boyhood club after running his contract down with the English club in 2021.
Initially, the Spaniard struggled to showcase his qualities in La Liga, so Barcelona opted to let him join Girona on a loan deal to play regularly and develop his career.
Garcia displayed promising performances for the Blanquivermells, helping them qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top four in La Liga.
After returning to Barcelona, the defender played as a rotational option under Hansi Flick last term. Following Inigo Martínez’s departure, García has been playing regularly in Flick’s starting XI this campaign.
Now, Fichajes state that Garcia’s current contract will expire at the end of this season, and Chelsea and Tottenham were interested in signing him by taking advantage of his contract situation.
Battle
Both English clubs even held talks to learn about the details of signing the defender. Thomas Frank felt García would have been the ideal option to play in his system, while Chelsea wanted him to address their defensive frailties.
However, the defender has decided to reject a move to the Premier League in favour of staying at Barcelona by signing a new long-term deal until 2030. The deal hasn’t been official yet, but Barcelona are close to finalising it.
Tottenham have been solid defensively under the Danish boss thus far this season, but Radu Dragusin has been out injured since the start of this year, while Cristian Romero has continued to struggle with fitness problems. On the other hand, Chelsea have also faced several injury problems at the back thus far this season.
Garcia, valued at around £22m by Transfermarkt, is a centre-back by trait but is also comfortable in the right-back position. Furthermore, he can provide cover in the defensive midfield position if needed.
He is technically sound, composed with the ball, and can play out from the back. However, he isn’t the tallest of centre-backs, so the Barcelona star might not have been the right option for Chelsea or Tottenham to reinforce the defence had they decided to sign him.
