Barcelona are reportedly still keen on signing Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia during the summer transfer window.
Garcia has been somewhat of a slow bloomer in Spanish football, not helped by an unproductive transfer to Manchester City when he had just turned 18 years of age.
However, now 26, Garcia has used loan spells at Girona, while contracted to Man City, and clubs such as Mouscron and Dinamo Bucuresti to his advantage.
Since 2021, the diminutive playmaker has starred in a Girona side that have developed into a team that are currently competing for Champions League qualification.
A total of three goals and six assists have been contributed by Garcia to help Girona sit in third position in the La Liga table, seven points ahead of fifth-placed Atletico Madrid with nine matches remaining.
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Nevertheless, such have been the level of his performances that Garcia is now viewed as a potential addition by some of the top clubs in European football.
According to Sport, Barcelona continue to monitor the development of the player ahead of attempting to conduct business in the summer.
The well-documented financial issues at the Catalan giants could prevent much activity on that front, depending on whether they are able to raise the necessary funds through player sales and other such cutbacks.
Barcelona were interested in Garcia in January, only for that transfer to fail to materialise for multiple reasons, yet it is claimed that there remains a desire to complete a transfer with both Barcelona and Garcia.
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No talks have taken place in recent weeks, a result on on-the-pitch matters, while Barcelona may need to learn how they can feasibly handle their wage-cap situation before presenting a proposal.
The report indicates that unnamed teams in the Premier League and Bundesliga are also admirers of Garcia, who only extended his contract last June.
Girona have an option to extend Garcia's terms by an extra 12 months to 2027, something that will naturally lead to the Blanquivermells demanding a sizeable fee.
Such a stance may realistically lead to Barcelona offering players in part-exchange to lower the asking price, with former Girona man Oriol Romeu an obvious candidate to go in the opposite direction with the 32-year-old said to be available for transfer.
Darren Plant
