Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed Eric Garcia intends to leave the club. The player has rejected to sign a new deal with the Citizens and hence plans to move to another club.
Guardiola has revealed the speculation about the Spanish international in the virtual press conference before their crucial Champions League clash against Real Madrid on Friday.
The Spaniard has one year left on his current contract with the club. He appeared in eight games amongst the 12 games since the Premier League resumed after the pandemic. His impressive performance charmed Man City management. Thus, the young center-back was offered a contract extension.
However, it looks like the recent signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth with a £41m reported fee has withdrawn the interest of the 19-year-old to stay in the club. The club wants a major rebuild in the defense line after experiencing a horrendous display in the back last season. As a part of that process, after signing Ake, they have also eyes on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. In that case, Garcia finds himself unwanted in the club. Also, it will be difficult for the center-back to get sufficient game time amidst so many competitors.
Defender Eric Garcia has told Manchester City he does not want to extend his contract at the club, says manager Pep Guardiola.
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“He has one more year and after that, he doesn’t want to extend. We want it but he doesn’t want to, so I imagine he wants to play in another place.” Guardiola said.
It is evident that the probable destination of Garcia is FC Barcelona. The Spanish club is in dire need of a world-class defender as their highly-rated defender Samuel Umtiti has struggled with several injuries during the whole 2019-20 season.
Also, Gerard Pique is aging within time who certainly lost the reliance of the board members due to his lack of consistent performance. In the circumstances, Eric Garcia will be an ideal pick for the former La Liga champion to resolve their defensive issues.
