This Thursday, during the press conference prior to the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League to be played in the Etihad Stadium between Real Madrid and the Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, coach of the ‘cityzen’ box, has dropped a bomb. “A Eric García He has one year left with us, but he has already told us that he does not want to renew. So we assume you will want to play somewhere else, “he said.
The news represents a real jug of cold water for Manchester City, who considered Eric García a fundamental piece for the future, and an oxygen balloon for the FC Barcelona, which has a priority goal in the Catalan defender to strengthen his defense. It must be remembered that the footballer has a contract with the English team until 2021, something that forces the ‘cityzens’ to sell him this summer if they do not want to see how he goes for free.
Several Catalan media outlets claim that Manchester City has definitely opened the door for Eric García to leave in the present transfer window and, in fact, they assure that the British entity has already set a starting price for it, which would be very similar to what the English team has paid for Ferrán Torres, player who was in the same contractual situation with Valencia and who has just signed for Pep Guardiola’s team.
Manchester City have had to pay Valencia 23 million euros fixed plus another 35 million in variables and the shots would go with Eric García. According to the information revealed by various sectors of the Catalan press, Manchester City would ask for a figure between 20 and 23 ‘kilos’ for the sale of the young defender, although he could also ask for a variable compensation as happened with Ferrán Torres.
Now it would be up to FC Barcelona to decide. The Catalan team is in a difficult financial situation due to the coronavirus, but at the same time it knows that it needs to reinforce a defense that is greatly diminished and short of troops due to the constant injuries of Samuel Umtiti. Manchester City has already put the cards on the table and Eric García wants to return, so now the Catalans must decide if they are going for him or if they wait a season to choose to take him at zero cost.
Eric García, a luxury reinforcement
Despite his youth, Eric García is one of those centrals who seems to have been playing in the elite for a decade. His calm, technical quality, tactical perception and solidity make him a great option to reinforce defense. At FC Barcelona he would fit perfectly for style and, in addition, he could have prominence from the first moment, due to his qualities that allow him to play both behind and in the midfield, as a defensive midfielder.
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