Barcelona dealt transfer blow in race for Girona star - report

Barcelona have been dealt a significant blow in their transfer pursuit of Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia, with Premier League and Bundesliga sides set to rival the cash-strapped Catalans.

Signed by Manchester City aged 18 almost a decade ago, Garcia has been building his reputation with Girona since joining the club in Spain's second tier in 2021.

This has been a watershed season for the midfielder as part of an unexpected La Liga title challenge, which is only just starting to falter, bringing him to the attention of a number of interested suitors.

Barcelona are targeting midfielders in the summer and Catalan-born Garcia appears on a shortlist of options alongside Joshua Kimmich, Amadou Onana and Mats Wieffer. SPORT has reported that Barca, having failed in an attempt for Garcia in January over financial constraints that would have prevented the player from being registered, will try again come June. However, there is no concrete proposal at this time and there cannot be until it is clear whether the budget will allow it.

It is said that the initial contact made has been "frozen for weeks", which is not good for Barca when there are un-named sides in both England and Germany who pose a threat to their plans. The player himself is said to be aware of the additional interest, although his preference remains Barca.

Garcia is under contract with Girona until 2026, with his release clause reported to be €20m (£17m). SPORT notes that Barca could offer players in exchange in order to lower their potential cash outlay.

Garcia, now 26, might be considered an upgrade on 32-year-old Oriol Romeu, signed from Girona as a stop-gap to provide cheap midfield depth for less than €4m last summer.

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