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Newcastle United handed blow in pursuit of 23-year-old Barcelona utility man

Eric Garcia is not considering a departure from Barcelona in the January transfer window, which could be a blow for interested clubs like Newcastle United.

According to SPORT via Sport Witness, Eric Garcia is not interested in a departure away from Barcelona ahead of the upcoming January transfer window. The Spanish utility man is not a key part of Hansi Flick’s plans, yet he is seen as a utility player, which could help the club in their depth problems.

Barcelona still have a lot of financial issues to resolve with regards to their wage cap as well as the need to bring in more funds. Last summer they even struggled to make room for new signing Dani Olmo and resorted to unorthodox methods to ensure the attacking midfielder was registered in their squad.

What they did was de-register some of the injured first-team stars, including Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, which allowed them room to register Olmo. They have done the same with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who will miss the remainder of the campaign, although there are further complications once Araujo and Christensen return.

The defensive duo has been given the medical all-clear and could resume training soon. Hence, with Hansi Flick likely to bring them both into his first-team plans, there could be the possibility of another player’s future falling into that uncertain bracket.

One of the players could be Eric Garcia, with the 23-year-old Barcelona utility man likely to see far more reduced game time. In the 18 La Liga games that the Blaugrana have played, Garcia has missed nearly a third with injury, while only starting four of the thirteen games he has played. His contract expires in 2026, meaning the January transfer window could be a good opportunity for Barcelona to offload, although they face a big challenge.

Garcia is uninterested in a January departure

There are a few clubs from the Premier League showing an interest in Garcia ahead of January. Newcastle United are one of those, with Eddie Howe probably seeing some value in bringing the 23-year-old Barcelona utility man to St. James’ Park, as they are short of defensive options entering into the second half of the season. However, Garcia has no interest in leaving Barcelona in January, although he remains open over a summer departure.

Garcia’s decision might come as a blow to the Magpies, as well as Real Sociedad, who were briefly interested in him a while ago. Flick does view Garcia as a good player to use in games, especially for the versatile qualities he brings to the team. However, the club might still push for an exit in January, which could generate some much-needed cash.

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