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| Raphinha #22 (R) and Eric Garcia #24 of FC Barcelona celebrate their first goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang #17 during the first half of a preseason friendly against Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium on July 19, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. |
Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly interested in signing Eric Garcia from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Barcelona defender Eric Garcia is the subject of interest from Juventus over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Serie A giants want to sign a second centre-back after bringing Gleison Bremer to the Allianz Stadium last month.
Eric Garcia started his youth career at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy in 2008 before leaving the Catalan club nearly a decade later to join Manchester City. The Spaniard came leaps and bounds after graduating from the Citizens’ youth division, making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in December 2018.
Pep Guardiola rated the 21-year-old very highly and offered him chances to impress at every possible opportunity. But Garcia did not settle down at Manchester City and chose to run down his contract before returning to Barcelona last summer in a Bosman move.
The Spanish international had high hopes from his second coming at the Catalan club and turned out 36 times for Barcelona last season. But Garcia’s position at Camp Nou is under threat following the arrivals of Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen this summer.
And with the Spaniard effectively becoming the fifth-choice centre-back, Juventus might look to prise him away from Barcelona.
Juventus entered the market searching for a long-term replacement for Giorgio Chiellini, who departed from the Allianz Stadium to join Los Angeles FC.
Their position became even more precarious when Matthijs de Ligt asked for and eventually got his exit by joining Bayern Munich last month.
While the Serie A giants have signed Gleison Bremer since then, they need to sign another centre-back, bringing Garcia into the picture.
Jules Kounde’s arrival from Sevilla means Garcia will not be a first-choice central defender for Barcelona in the upcoming season. And with a spot in Luis Enrique’s squad up for grabs, moving to Juventus might be the best idea for the 21-year-old.
But Garcia is not the only centre-back on Juventus’s radar, with the Bianconeri also keen on signing Pau Torres from Villarreal.
It will be interesting to see who becomes the top target for Juventus in the coming days, with a loan move for the Barcelona defender a possibility.
