Barcelona Planning to Reignite Interest in Manchester City Defender Eric Garcia in January

Barcelona intend to resume their pursuit of Manchester City defender Eric Garcia in January as they look to bolster their options at the back.

The Catalan giants were linked with Garcia all summer, with City manager Pep Guardiola confirming that the player was interested in the move and had refused to sign a new contract at the Etihad.

However, the Spanish side failed to come up with an offer that enticed Man City to accept and as such, the player stayed put despite entering the final year of his contract.

Now, according to ESPN, Barcelona are planning another move for the defender in the January transfer window as they look to bring him to the Camp Nou early. It's expected that Garcia will leave on a free transfer next summer when his contract expires, but Barca want him this season.

Manager Ronald Koeman and sporting director Roman Planes are both in agreement that a centre-back is needed, with Gerard Pique now in the twilight of his career and Samuel Umtiti out of favour. That leaves Clement Lenglet and youngster Ronald Araujo as the only other centre-halves in the squad.

Garcia, a graduate of the famed La Masia academy, is not only seen as the heir to Pique in the club's future, but they also see him as good enough to add competition to the squad immediately.

Guardiola has insisted that he hopes to convince the Spain international to extend his contract at the club beyond this season but it seems unlikely, especially considering the public admission from all parties in the summer.

Any deal in January would be subject to Barcelona's new president signing off on the deal, following the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu earlier this week. According to club statutes, an election must be held within 90 days of Bartomeu's resignation which means a new president should be in place in January at the latest.