- 8 hours ago
Broke Barca could MISS OUT on budget De Jong over financial concerns
Barcelona wanted to sign Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia in January but missed out on a deal over financial constraints.
The hard-up Catalan club could not register the 26-year-old through the winter window but vowed to come back in summer.
Garcia is on record as stating that he would one day love to play for the Camp Nou giants, adding that he has followed the club since he was a child, an admission that earned him a rebuke from Girona coach Michel.
A former Manchester City player who appeared four times under Pep Guardiola in the Premier League, Garcia has a release clause of €20 million in his Girona contract, but even that modest sum could prove beyond the means of Barca in the next transfer window.
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With club president Joan Laporta out of financial levers to pull, and LaLiga slashing the club’s wage budget, it is uncertain what amounts the Blaugrana will have available to lavish on new signings this summer.
Garcia has a more than 80 percent similarity to Rodri, Alexis Mac Allister and Declan Rice according to SciSports, so it’s easy to see why Barca regard him as a decent cut-price option.
A report in Sport now claims that there has been no contact about a deal over the last few weeks and it is unknown whether Barca will be back with a bid.
That doubt could well open the door to other suitors for Garcia, with Barca set to be rivalled by clubs in the Bundesliga and the Premier League for the Catalan-born orchestrator.
🎩💫 La 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗘 hecha 𝗙𝗨𝗧𝗕𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗔.
🔝 @97_aleix
❤ @GironaFC#LALIGA pic.twitter.com/OEOOW3tjcR— LALIGA (@LaLiga) July 6, 2023
The one-time Spain international is under contract at Girona until 2026, although there is an option for another year to be added by the club.
Garcia has been with Girona since 2021, when they were in the Spanish second tier, and has been one of the stars of the club this season during their surprise push for the top of the LaLiga table.
Girona’s City links
Girona are part of the City Football Group, and their board president is Pere Guardiola, brother of Man City manager, Pep.
Barca, for their part, have been linked with other midfield signings like Amadou Onana of Everton and Mats Wieffer of Feyenoord.
It has been suggested that as part of any move for the €60m-rated Onana that Barca could offer fringe players like Clement Lenglet, Ansu Fati, Sergino Dest and Fermin Lopez to Everton in part exchange.
Given their current financial predicament, it is unlikely that Barca will be going in for any superstar names this summer.
