Barcelona €20m-rated centre-back’s departure ‘heating up’ as Girona push for transfer

It appears to be the moving day of the summer transfer window at FC Barcelona as there is a lot of activity happening.

Ilkay Gundogan is all set to return to Manchester City while Vitor Roque is poised to join Real Betis on a loan deal.

Meanwhile, Mikayil Faye is also closing in on a departure amid widespread interest from top European teams.

Now, it is being reported that the exit of another defender could be picking up pace as Barcelona look to trim their wage bill further.

Eric Garcia back to Girona?

Indeed, according to Jose Alvarez on El Chiringuito TV, the departure of Barcelona defender Eric Garcia is ‘heating up’ with La Liga club Girona pushing to sign him before the window closes.

Garcia, 23, spent the last season on loan at Girona and enjoyed a fine campaign, playing a crucial role in Michel’s team achieving a top-four finish and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

A return to Girona on the cards for Eric? (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Back at Barcelona this summer, it was expected that Garcia would remain under Hansi Flick’s orders, with the player himself confirming as much after finishing his national team duties at the Olympics.

However, with Barcelona desperate to free up some salary space to register Dani Olmo and any other potential late signings, reports on Tuesday suggested that Garcia’s exit was not entirely ruled out.

Now, it appears that things are ‘heating up’ as far as the former Manchester City starlet’s future is concerned, with Girona, who have made no secret of their desire to have the player back, seemingly making a late push.

It is unclear whether Girona want to sign Garcia on another loan deal or a permanent transfer at this point. But more developments are expected in the coming hours.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication