Barcelona Reach Agreement To Sign Manchester City Defender Eric Garcia

The Spaniard will become the Blaugrana's first summer signing, with an official announcement expected in the coming weeks.

Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, Goal can confirm.

Garcia will move to Camp Nou on a free transfer when his current contract at City expires at the end of June.

The 20-year-old rose through the youth ranks at La Masia before moving to Manchester in 2017, but will return to Barcelona ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Garcia to become Barca's first summer signing 

Goal has learned that Garcia's switch to Barca will be made official before this summer's European Championship, where he is set to represent Spain.

The centre-back has agreed to a wage 40 per cent lower than the club's original contract offer in January due to the precarious financial situation Barca find themselves in amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Garcia has always dreamed of representing Barca at senior level and made City officials aware that he did not wish to sign an extension at Etihad Stadium at the start of the year after hearing of their interest in his services.

What has Guardiola said about Garcia?

City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed that Garcia was bound for Camp Nou during a press conference last month, having left the Spaniard out of his squad for the majority of the 2020-21 campaign.

"I would love to have 15 Eric Garcias for the way he conducts his behaviour," said Guardiola. "He will go in an incredible team and when the people say they are unsatisfied if I don't play, I think of Eric.

"Most of the time he's not on the bench because he's going to move to Barcelona, I hope so. It's tough, but it is what it is."

Garcia's overall record at City

Garcia hasn't played for City since their 3-0 victory away at Fulham on March 13, with Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte filling the centre-back berths in Guardiola's line-up.

The Spain international will finish the season with just 10 appearances to his name, 10 fewer than he managed in the whole of 2019-20.

Garcia will also leave Etihad Stadium without having registered a single goal, but he does have Carabao Cup and Community Shield winners' medals on his CV.