Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Barcelona defender Eric Garcia in the upcoming summer window, as per the Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
It has widely been suggested that the Gunners are exploring the possibility of strengthening their squad for next season in order to continue the rebuild under Mikel Arteta’s guidance.
Midfield and the attacking department have been mentioned as the priority areas that the Spanish boss wants to reinforce this summer.
But it appears the north London club are also planning to bolster their backline with Garcia now emerging as a serious target.
According to the report by Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal have been eyeing a move for Garcia over the last few months and they even tried to purchase him this winter.
But, the Blaugrana were reluctant to let the Spain international leave and due to that, a deal never materialised.
However, after failing to broker a deal last time around, the Gunners now ‘insist’ on signing the Spaniard this summer.
The report further says that although Barcelona didn’t allow Garcia to leave a couple of months ago, things could be different this time as Xavi Hernandez’s side are looking to sign Inigo Martinez.
If they manage to acquire his service then the Catalan giants could let Garcia join Arsenal at the end of this term.
Garcia to Arsenal
The 22-year-old moved to Camp Nou during the summer of 2021 from Manchester City. The defender featured regularly in the Blaugrana colour in his debut campaign,
but following Andreas Christensen’s arrival, Garcia has found it difficult to break into Xavi’s first eleven this term.
So, with Garcia seemingly not on Xavi’s long-term plan, Barcelona could allow the Spaniard’s departure to free his wage
bill amid their financial difficulties and in that case, Arsenal would be handed a big boost to get this deal done.
But, the Catalan giants are unlikely to let Garcia leave on the cheap this summer. He is valued at around £11m by Transfermarkt and still has more than three years left in his current contract.
So, the north London club would need to spend a significant fee to get this deal over the line.
Garcia hasn’t been able to flourish at Camp Nou in recent years, so it is surprising to see that Mikel Arteta is showing an interest in signing his compatriot.
However, the Gunners’ boss has previously worked with the 22-year-old at Man City so perhaps, he knows the secret of bringing the best out of the defender.
If Arsenal do manage to sign Garcia, the right-footed centre-back would provide to class competition for William Saliba next season which could see Rob Holding drop down the pecking order.
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