In Desperate Bid To Return To Barcelona, Defender Agrees To Forgo 6 Months Wages

Eric Garcia has accepted to play for free for six months at FC Barcelona as Manchester City have agreed to sell the talented defender to the Catalans before the ongoing January transfer window closes, Barcelona’s presidential candidate Victor Font claimed.

Font, who is running for the presidential election at Camp Nou alongside Joan Laporta and Toni Freixa, has said that Premier League giants Manchester City have sanctioned the departure of Garcia from Etihad for $4 million before the January transfer market closes on Jan. 31. Font has also claimed that the 20-year-old center-back is willing to forgo his wages until the end of the season in order to secure a return to Barcelona, who are currently in the middle of a financial crisis infused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're asking the acting board to sign Eric Garcia. Koeman's asked for him, our sporting structure [if we're elected] support it and the player wants to come because there's a European Championship this summer. He [would be] fundamental in the fight for three trophies this season. We know City would accept $4 million plus add-ons and we wouldn't have to pay until next season - that's a lot less than Barca offered four months ago. The player's also ready to make a big effort and not be paid a salary until the end of the season, " Font was quoted by Goal, as saying, ahead of the club’s upcoming presidential elections on March 7.

Garcia, who rose through the ranks of Barcelona’s La Masia academy, had switched to City’s academy in Manchester in 2017. The following year saw Garcia make his senior debut in the blue jersey as he played three League Cup matches. Across the last two seasons, Garcia has clinched 16 Premier League appearances and overall, the Spaniard has an experience of 31 competitive matches.

While it was believed that Garcia had agreed to personal terms with his former youth club, it was reported that Barcelona could lose out on their top target since they were delaying making a concrete offer to Manchester City for the talented center-back.

Considered among the promising defenders of the current generation, Garica, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, is being chased by a number of top European clubs. It was earlier reported that Arsenal was planning to use the connection of Mikel Arteta, who has a role in Garcia’s evolution when the former was Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach at Manchester City between 2016 and 2019. It is understood that even Ligue 1 champions PSG are interested in acquiring the services of Garcia, who has been capped four times for Spain national team so far.