Girona sporting director Quique Carcel has revealed that his club are keen to sign Eric Garcia from Barcelona before the end of the January transfer window.
There has been a host of speculation surrounding the Spaniard's future during the winter market, with Girona, at one point, believed to be closing in on a permanent deal for the centre-back.
Garcia spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan with Girona, making 33 appearances in all competitions, playing a vital role in the team securing a historic third-placed finish in Spain's top flight.
The 24-year-old returned to his parent club over the summer, and he has featured on 16 occasions for Hansi Flick's side this term.
It was recently claimed that Girona were closing in on an €10m (£8m) deal for Garcia, but such speculation was rejected by Flick towards the start of this month.
"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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Girona confirm interest in Barcelona defender
However, there is once again speculation surrounding Garcia, and Girona's interest has been confirmed by their sporting director.
"In the summer he is a player that we wanted to bring and now he is participating in the games with Barca and he is doing quite well," Carcel told DAZN.
"Our intention would be to try to bring him but we depend on Barca being able to set conditions that are realistic for us and we can do it."
Garcia represented Barcelona's youth academy between 2008 and 2017 before moving to Manchester City, and he went on to represent the English side's first team on 35 occasions ahead of a return to his current side in 2021.
The Spaniard has featured 11 times in La Liga this season, but he is not a part of Flick's starting XI, and it is understood that serious offers for the defender would be listened to this month.
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Could Garcia's exit help Barcelona land Rashford?
Barcelona continue to be heavily linked with Marcus Rashford, and it is understood that their head coach Flick is determined to sign the Manchester United forward on loan before the end of the January transfer window.
For that to happen, there will have to be exits, with Garcia potentially one of those, while Ansu Fati is also being linked with a departure.
Girona's ceiling for a January deal is believed to be €10m (£8m), but Barcelona value him higher, which has created a tense situation heading into the latter stages of the winter market.
Matt Law
