Barcelona are set for unwanted competition from Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Manchester City centre back Eric Garcia, according to reports.
Barca have been in hot pursuit of Garcia for quite some time now, and Ronald Koeman wants him signed in the January window with City open to allowing the 20-year-old to leave for a fee of around £4.4million.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, PSG and Mauricio Pochettino are looking to hijack the deal with Garcia's proposed move to the Nou Camp far from finalised.
The report claims that Barca's presidential candidates do not want to sign Garcia in January, and would rather wait until the summer when he will be available for free after his contract expires at the Etihad.
Furthermore, Garcia's move to Barca has been thrown into serious doubt because elections to appoint a new president at the Nou Camp have been postponed.
The club recently announced that their elections on January 24 will not go ahead because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and signing players is not within the remit of caretaker president Carles Tusquets.
And now PSG are reportedly looking to take advantage of the uncertainty at cash-strapped Barcelona, who have been plagued financially by the pandemic, with new boss Pochettino eyeing defensive reinforcements in Paris.
The report claims that Garcia won't rule out any potential move, but is favouring a return to boyhood club Barcelona, where he came through the ranks between 2008 and 2017 before departing for England.
The Spanish giants reportedly are not fearful of Garcia being tempted to leave for elsewhere in January but are concerned that he could accept another offer by the summer if Barcelona don't make their move.
Meanwhile, for Barca boss Koeman the postponement of Garcia's arrival comes as a major setback.
Koeman is reportedly angry with Barca's dithering over a move for Garcia, due to his desperate need to reinforce a vulnerable defence that has been struck down by injuries.
Koeman is worried that within the next six months, Garcia could be the subject of offers from rival Champions League clubs, hence why he is looking to get his man now.
But if Barcelona continue to hesitate, Ligue 1 giants PSG are waiting in the wings to make their move.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com