Barcelona decided against move for Bayer Leverkusen-bound midfielder due to finances

Over the past few months, Barcelona had a strong interest in Girona and Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia as they sought reinforcements in the centre of the park.

Garcia, for his part, had previously admitted he would be open to joining Barça and it was suggested that the Catalans were confident of signing him in a deal worth around €14 million.

Barcelona did not move for Garcia due to finances

However, now, SPORT reports that Barcelona decided to pull out of the race to sign Aleix Garcia due to financial reasons.

The Spanish midfielder, on the other hand, is now headed to Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal worth around €18 million plus another €2 million in variables.

Garcia was on Barça’s transfer shortlist, but the Blaugrana decided not to move due to the economic difficulties the club are going through and the change of script in the sporting planning after Xavi’s departure.

Aleix Garcia headed to Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The interest in Garcia began in December. Xavi valued him highly and asked the club to make an effort, but it was impossible to bring him in January.

The operation was postponed until the summer, although Deco was never sure that he was the profile the team needed for next season. But, with Xavi still as coach, the option remained on the table.

The departure of Xavi and the arrival of Hansi Flick cooled the issue, although the player was willing to wait if they were finally going to take the step forward.

But, in the absence of news from Barcelona, both the player’s entourage and Garcia himself decided to sign for Bayer Leverkusen, with a move now close to completion.

As for Barcelona, they are looking at the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Mikel Merino as options to reinforce the midfield.