Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has played down suggestions that Eric Garcia is close to leaving the club.
The 23-year-old has found it difficult to secure regular action this season, being restricted to just 13 appearances, and there has been strong speculation linking him with a return to Girona following a successful loan spell at the club last term.
According to journalist Nil Sola, Girona are looking to secure a €10m (£8m) deal for the Spaniard 'in the next few days'.
However, Flick denied claims that an exit was close when asked about the defender during his press conference to preview Saturday's Copa del Rey last-32 contest with Barbastro.
"I don't think Eric Garcia will leave in the winter. For us, he is ours and he is a good player," he told reporters. "He is an intelligent player that can play in different positions. We are not thinking about his departure at the moment."
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Flick plays down Garcia exit rumours
Garcia represented Barcelona's academy between 2008 and 2017 before ending his youth career at Manchester City, and he went on to represent the English side's first team on 35 occasions.
The defender returned to Barcelona in 2021, and he has made 83 appearances for the Catalan outfit, but he spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Girona, featuring on 32 occasions.
Garcia starred for the White and Reds, helping them finish third in La Liga during a historic campaign, and it is understood that the team's head coach Michel is pushing for a transfer this month.
As it stands, though, Garcia remains a Barcelona player, and he could be involved in Saturday's Copa del Rey clash with Barbastro, with Flick's side bidding to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the competition.
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Will Szczesny make Barcelona debut against Barbastro?
Wojciech Szczesny is pushing to mąke his Barcelona debut against Barbastro, but Flick said on Friday that he has not yet decided whether the experienced goalkeeper will represent the club for the first time.
"What I can say is that Tek is training very well, but the decision has not been made, we will have to wait until tomorrow. We will see," he said.
Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen is not yet ready to feature, with the Denmark international in the final stages of his recovery from a long-term Achilles problem; Lamine Yamal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are also currently on the sidelines.
"For Andreas, he is doing really well, he has developed a lot. He is also training well, but it is still too early for the Barbastro match," said Flick.
"He will go with us to Saudi Arabia, but we will see what happens there. The plan is that maybe after Saudi Arabia he will be ready to join the team, but we have to follow his development day by day and manage him properly."
Barcelona entered the winter break in Spain off the back of successive league defeats to Leganes and Atletico Madrid, and they will follow Saturday's Copa del Rey fixture with a clash against Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup.
Matt Law
