Barcelona willing to listen to offers for 22-year-old player Arsenal's Mikel Arteta really likes: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Eric Garcia, who has popped up on Arsenal's radar of late.
Garcia, 22, has established himself as a crucial squad member at Camp Nou since returning to his boyhood club on a free transfer from Manchester City in 2021. So far, he has helped his club lift the Supercopa de Espana trophy.
A right-footed centre-back blessed with passing and positioning, the 19-cap Spain international has fallen down in the pecking order since Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen's arrival at the Blaugrana. After starting 32 matches last campaign, he has managed to start just 16 games across all competitions for Xavi Hernandez's side this season.
According to Fichajes, Barcelona are prepared to entertain advances from Arsenal for Garcia's signature in the upcoming summer transfer window. However, they are yet to make a final decision on the talented defender's future.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a huge admirer of Garcia, who has a deal until June 2026 at Camp Nou. Due to his ball-playing ability and positional versatility, Garcia could prove to be a clever addition for the north London side.
Garcia, who has lifted a Premier League title, has prior experience of working with Arteta at Manchester City. The pair worked together between 2017 and 2019 when the Arsenal manager was an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola.
Should Garcia seal a move to Arsenal this summer, he would provide competition to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. He could also step in as an emergency defensive midfielder or as a backup right-back if required.
Overall, Garcia has scored one goal and provided two assists in 61 games across all competitions for Barcelona.
Arsenal monitoring Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele: Reports
According to 90min, Arsenal are one of four Premier League clubs keeping an eye on Ousmane Dembele's situation at Barcelona. The 35-cap France star is now in the final 14 months of his current deal at Camp Nou.
Apart from the Gunners, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle United are also keen to snap up Dembele.
Dembele, 25, has been afflicted with a host of injuries since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth up to £120 million in 2017. As a result, he has made just 120 La Liga appearances in six whole campaigns.
An ambidextrous winger blessed with pace and dribbling, Dembele has missed his team's last 17 matches due to a hamstring injury. So far, he has netted eight goals and contributed seven assists in 28 games this season.