Barcelona star who has fallen down pecking order attracting interest from Marseille – Reports
Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has reportedly emerged on Olympique Marseille's transfer radar ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Marseille are currently reshaping their entire ranks with the likes of Arkadiusz Milik, Kevin Strootman and Sead Kolasinac already out the door. They have also parted ways with veterans Alexis Sanchez and Dimitri Payet, both of whom are available as free agents now.
Marcelino Garcia Toral's side, meanwhile, have been busy roping in six new players this summer. They have dished out €49 million to sign Renan Lodi, Ismaila Sarr, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Amine Harit. The Ligue 1 giants have also roped in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free switch after the player's Chelsea exit.
Now, according to Todofichajes, Marseille are hoping to lure Garcia away from the Catalans in the ongoing summer transfer window. They are keen to make the most of the ex-Manchester City man's situation at Camp Nou, where he has fallen down in the pecking order.
Garcia, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2026, could decide to seal a move away from Barcelona this summer. He has just been a rotational option since Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen's arrivals on respective deals ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
A right-footed versatile centre-back, the 19-cap Spain international started 18 of his 32 appearances across competitions last season. He was even played in a holding midfield role for seven games last time around.
Barcelona are reportedly interested in offloading Garcia as they are hoping to both raise transfer funds and lighten their salary bill soon. However, Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez is yet to arrive at a decision.
Overall, the one-time Premier League and La Liga winner has scored one goal and laid out two assists in 68 appearances for Barcelona so far.
Should Eric Garcia stay or exit Barcelona?
Eric Garcia, who spent nine years at La Masia before moving to Manchester City in 2017, shot to fame in the 2019-20 season. After two campaigns at the Etihad, he secured a free transfer to Barcelona in 2021.
However, the Spaniard has failed to maintain his starting berth at Camp Nou in the recent past. He is expected to drop further down in the pecking order due to Inigo Martinez's latest arrival on a Bosman move.
Should Garcia join Marseille this summer, he would relish more first-team chances at the heart of Marcelino's defense. He would provide solid competition to the likes of Chancel Mbemba and Leonardo Balerdi.
According to Transfermarkt, Garcia is currently valued at €10 million.