Barcelona lose star to Manchester City in big money move
Barcelona are furious with City
It’s safe to say that Pep Guardiola and his old mates at Barcelona aren’t on very good terms right now. Officials with the La Liga giants are furious with their former employee. Guardiola has managed to sneak right into La Masia and steal away one of the club’s brightest young starlets.
Spanish reports claim that Manchester City will soon sign 16-year-old defender Eric Garcia away from Barcelona’s youth setup. It’s believed that City used a big money offer to convince Garcia not to sign Barca’s contract offer.
Officials with the Catalan club had high hopes for Garcia. He is regarded as one of La Masia’s top prospects at the moment and many believed he’d break into the first team sooner rather than later. Instead, he’ll be headed to England after receiving a massive wage offer of over £1 million from the rich Premier League side.
Ironically, Guardiola is currently unable to sign English academy prospects due to a current ban. Perhaps if City would have been permitted to raid their Premier League rivals, Garcia would be staying in Spain. As it stands, Barcelona officials will be required to revamp their plans to bring Garcia into their defensive rotation in the coming years.
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Manchester City fans should be thrilled with the signing. Not only have they stolen a talent away from one of the world’s greatest academies, but they’ve also received a clear indication that Guardiola is invested in the long haul.
He has a habit of only staying at each stop for a few seasons, but investing in a young star like Garcia might signal a change in his philosophy.
Even if Guardiola doesn’t stay long enough to bring Garcia into the first team, it’s a quality move for Manchester City.
The club are routinely criticized for spending big on transfers while ignoring the quality of their youth setup. Adding a talent like Garcia will help the Citizens change that perception.
Next: Barcelona sure up their defense with talented Brazilian
Pep Guardiola still has a lot of friends at Barcelona, but after swooping for Eric Garcia he probably has a few less. Officials around the La Masia product are fuming mad at the City boss’ clever transfer swoop.