€10 million-rated Barcelona defender willing to leave amid interest from La Liga rivals

According to a breaking report from Nil Sola of SER, Eric Garcia is willing to leave Barcelona this summer. Girona are well-placed to sign him and the Spanish international would be open to a move to the La Liga side.

Garcia has spoken to several Girona stars already and is strongly considering a transfer. However, Xavi Hernandez wants him to stay and sees Clement Lenglet as the only transferable defender in the squad.

Gerard Romero adds that if the defender moves to Girona, it will be on a loan deal as the club do not have the money to pay Barcelona immediately.

The Villarreal clash could be a turning point

It has always been clear that Garcia will not be a starter this season. With Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and possibly Inigo Martinez ahead of him in the pecking order, he is Xavi’s fifth-choice central defender.

Yet, Garcia, whose market value stands at €10 million, already has minutes to show three games into the season. 

Barcelona are short-staffed in defense with both Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez on the sidelines through injury. Andreas Christensen’s discomfort thus forced Xavi to count on Garcia last night and the defender did not disappoint.

With regular playing time no longer appearing so distant, the Spaniard could be tempted to push for one more season under Xavi.

The manager relays his trust

Speaking after his team’s 4-3 win over Villarreal last night, Xavi Hernandez stressed the faith he placed in Eric Garcia for the season ahead.

“I trust Eric García a lot. There are many moments in which he has the ball under pressure and he always does well. For me, he’s a guarantee,” he said.

The coming days will be critical in finalising the future of Garcia, with both doors firmly open on the player’s table. The final decision will rest with the defender and his entourage.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.