Barcelona candidate Laporta stands by blocking deal for Man City defender Garcia

Tribal Football

·27 February 2021

Barcelona candidate Laporta stands by blocking deal for Man City defender Garcia

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta stands by their decision not to sign Manchester City defender Eric Garcia last month.

Off contract in June, City were willing to sell Garcia to Barca in January for a fee of €5m up front plus a further €5m in bonuses.

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However, all three presidential candidates agreed not to take up City's offer and instead wait until June to sign him for free. This despite coach Ronald Koeman making it clear he wanted to count on Garcia immediately.

Laporta said on Friday: "I do not regret having said that Eric Garcia should not be recruited now, since he would arrive for free in the summer. It was not coherent from a sporting and financial point of view. And Ronald Koeman understood it perfectly."