Barcelona blocked FC Porto’s last-minute bid for versatile defender amid injury crisis | OneFootball

Mundo Deportivo has revealed that FC Porto made a late attempt to sign Barcelona defender Eric Garcia during the final days of the summer transfer window.

However, Barcelona refused to sell or loan him due to several pressing reasons, primarily related to their defensive situation.

One of the key factors was Andreas Christensen’s injury, which significantly weakened the club’s defensive depth, leaving them with limited options at the back.

Moreover, Barcelona faced restrictions in signing a new defender because of La Liga’s financial fair play regulations, preventing them from making any further signings.

Porto were really after Garcia

It must be noted that Garcia had just come off an impressive season with Girona. His performances drew interest not only from Girona’s manager Michel, who wanted to bring him back but also from FC Porto.

The Portuguese club sought to strengthen their defence, which had been hit by injuries and departures. Marcano was sidelined, David Carmo was transferred to Nottingham Forest, and veteran defender Pepe had retired.

FC Porto wanted Eric Garcia. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

These factors left Porto in urgent need of reinforcements for their backline, prompting them to approach Barcelona for Eric Garcia.

Porto explored both a potential transfer and a loan deal with an option to buy for Garcia. However, Barcelona had little room to manoeuvre in the market.

Barcelona attempted to sign a replacement

Barcelona, on their part, attempted to bring in Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen to fill the defensive gap, but those efforts did not bear fruit.

Ultimately, Barcelona decided it was too risky to let Garcia leave without securing a replacement, especially given their injury woes and financial constraints.

In the end, FC Porto filled their defensive vacancies by signing Nehuen Perez from Udinese and Tiago Djalo from Juventus, confirming their need for reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Garcia remained a crucial part of Barcelona’s squad as they dealt with their own defensive challenges.