Newcastle United have been linked with a January move for a young central defender.
The Magpies are looking to add to the squad after a lacklustre year in the transfer market. Aside from Lewis Hall, Newcastle have failed to sign a single player who has become a consistent feature in the squad.
Eddie Howe has new signings John Ruddy, Odysseas Vlachodimos and William Osula at his disposal, but the Toon boss has preferred options in those positions, making fans question why they were brought to the club in the first place.
The summer transfer window was surrounded by noise of Newcastle’s failed bids for Marc Guehi with bids of up to £70m being rejected by Crystal Palace.
Newcastle were also linked with a move for AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw which failed to materialise.
Now, the Magpies have identified another target who could help Newcastle for years to come.
Eric Garcia of FC Barcelona during the Club Friendly match between FC Barcelona v Manchester City at the Spotify Camp Nou on August 24, 2022 in B...
Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Newcastle United eyeing a move for Barcelona defender Eric Garcia
Barcelona defender Eric Garcia signed for the Spanish giants in 2021 from Manchester City but hasn’t made much of an impression under new manager Hansi Flick.
The 23-year-old has played just 12 games in La Liga this season starting five of them. He has made two appearances in the Champions League this season however against Monaco and Borussia Dortmund.
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The defender spent the previous season on loan at Girona where he helped them reach the Champions League. Now, according to FootballTransfers, Newcastle are interested in signing him as a long-term replacement for Fabian Schar.
Alongside Newcastle, Premier League big spenders Chelsea are also keen to bring Garcia in to add more depth to their defence.
It is thought that Barcelona are open to the sale as they face major financial and registration problems ahead of the January transfer window – they need to register Dani Olmo for the next phase of the season as he is only registered until December 31st.
The signing of Garcia would be a welcome one for Toon boss Eddie Howe who has been without defenders Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles due to ACL problems.
Despite his inconsistent season, Garcia was a player admired by former Barcelona head coach Xavi told Tribuna he is a ‘role model in the dressing room’. Unfortunately for Garcia, Xavi would leave Barcelona at the end of last season.
Newcastle must learn from their mistakes with the Marc Guehi deal
It was widely reported how eager Newcastle were to sign Guehi who ultimately remained at Crystal Palace.
It has since been reported the Newcastle target Guehi has interest from Liverpool and that it will be his last season at Palace.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell was left red-faced after the failure to bring new first-team players in over the summer and will be keen to make a lot of wrongs right in January.
The signing of Garcia is a great place to start for Mitchell as he looks to bring his transfer strategy into the club and keep those poor windows in the past.