Barcelona Readying 'Final' Offer for Man City's Eric García
By Tom Gott
Barcelona are set to table one last offer of around £7m to sign Manchester City defender Eric García in January, giving Pep Guardiola the chance to cash in on the youngster before he walks away for free.
García has made it clear that he does not intend to sign a new contract and is prepared to leave on a free transfer when his current deal expires at the end of the season, with Barcelona understood to be his preferred destination.
City resisted all Barça's advances during the summer but the Spanish side remain interested, and according to Sport, they are prepared to offer one final take-it-or-leave-it offer to sign García in January for just £7m.
It's significantly less than Barça had offered to pay during the summer, but club officials are well aware that they must not overpay for a player who can be signed for free next summer. They will be free to negotiate a contract with García in January ahead of a summer move but would prefer to strike a traditional deal to sign him during the winter.
Manager Ronald Koeman is set to meet with director Ramon Planes in the coming days to finalise a strategy for the January transfer window, and it's understood that García's name is right at the top of their wish list.
However, whether a bid actually arrives could all come down to the current salary dispute going on at the club. Barcelona have urged their players to agree to wage deferrals to help the club stop haemorrhaging money, and they would only be able to bid for García if the squad accept the proposal.
As it stands, the dressing room have been unimpressed with Barcelona's conduct, so an agreement over a change to their salary does not seem close, although it remains to be seen what impact the departure of president Josep Maria Bartomeu has on things.
If a deal can be struck, Barcelona will lodge one final offer for García, who has already agreed personal terms with La Blaugrana and plans to make the move to Camp Nou at some point in the next seven months.
It will all come down to City and whether they are prepared to let García walk for a bargain-bin price. They refused during the summer, but their stance may have changed now that the 19-year-old can talk to other clubs.
García has only played four games in all competitions this season, falling behind the expensive trio of Rúben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké in the pecking order at the Etihad, so he is no longer a crucial member of the squad.