Pep Guardiola on Eric Garcia: “I don’t know what will happen” | OneFootball

Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia has taken up quite a bit of Barcelona news this season, with the Blaugrana linked with their former charge on an almost daily basis ever since a move fell apart in the summer.

Garcia left Barcelona for City in 2017 to work under Pep Guardiola, but is keen to return to his native Catalonia as he’s spied an opportunity to cement a starting role at centre-back in the Barcelona team for years to come.

Latest reports indicate that a pre-contract agreement is done and dusted, and Garcia will join Barcelona in the summer at the latest as that’s when his contract with the Premier League club expires.

City were keen for him to stay and apparently offered him a more financially lucrative deal, but his heart was set on a return home. The two clubs are currently said to be negotiating a compensation fee that could permit Garcia to join Ronald Koeman‘s squad in this January window.

“I hope Eric doesn’t leave, but maybe the people of Barcelona know more than I do,” Guardiola said in comments carried by Diario Sport. “I don’t know what will happen, honestly, but maybe it can happen.”