Arsenal are keen on keeping Manchester City defender Eric Garcia in the Premier League as they look to hijack Barcelona’s move for the centre-back, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The £18m-rated defender had looked set to move to the Catalan giants, who have been chasing the ace for a while, however, it’s now being claimed that the Gunners, along with Paris Saint Germain, have made an offer for him.
It is thought that despite Pep Guardiola’s desire to keep the player, there is an acceptance that he could move on at the end of his contract in June.
Just last summer there was panic as the north London outfit started the season with eight different players at centre-half. It was claimed that the Gunners needed to remove players rather than sign them, however, fast-forward six months and there is a real need for another body for the start of next season.
Sokratis Papastathopolous has already had his contract terminated by the club and if you believe the latest reports, Shkodran Mustafi could suffer the same fate in the coming days. According to football.london, the club is in talks to terminate the former Valencia man’s deal amid interest from clubs around Europe.
That’s already two right-footed centre-backs off the books, and with David Luiz’s deal up at the end of the campaign and Calum Chambers only just back from a long-term injury, it would leave Rob Holding as the only right-footer left at the club in the summer.
And in Garcia, his quality and age, as well as the fact he has worked under Arteta, makes him an ideal signing for the club, who have shown desire to bring in young guns.
With numbers set to run low in the summer, a right-centre back is a necessity for the club especially if they qualify for the Champions League.
In other news, Martin Keown has lauded one Premier League ace ahead of a crunch clash.
