Guardiola unsure if Garcia is bound for Barca before deadline

Pep Guardiola says he is unsure if wantaway Manchester City defender Eric Garcia will return to Barcelona before the transfer window closes on Monday.

Guardiola revealed in August that Garcia had turned down a new contract amid reports Barca wanted to take him back to his homeland.

The 19-year-old centre-back’s current deal expires at the end of this season and links with the Blaugrana have intensified.

On Friday Guardiola revealed there was no agreement with Barca, but he admitted that does not mean the teenager, who joined City in 2017, will remain in Manchester.

Asked if Garcia could be on his way back to Barca, he said: “I don’t know, today he is our player and Monday is the transfer window, so I don’t know exactly what is going to happen.

“I know he wants to live there and Barcelona wants him, but there is no deal between the clubs. That is what I know right now, so how it is going to finish, I don’t know.”

City face Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday after suffering a 5-2 Premier League hammering at home to Leicester City last weekend, prior to beating Burnley in the EFL Cup in midweek.

Strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus remain among the players unavailable due to injury, while İlkay Gundogan has not yet returned to training after testing positive for coronavirus, but is set to be back following the international break.

Guardiola, who did not reveal if new signing Ruben Dias will start at Leeds, says City cannot make excuses as they prepare to face Marcelo Bielsa’s in-form side.

Another sunny afternoon
Walking to the sound of my favourite tune

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— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 2, 2020

“I know we are still a little bit away from the best, for many reasons, but it is what it is,” said the City manager.

“We lost against Leicester, not because of a lack of physical condition or because we did not have several players or whatever. You can see the three penalties conceded, so it’s difficult to win the game. 

“We have to look at ourselves. Of course, we are not where we should be for the reasons at the time, the injuries, the COVID, for many reasons, but it is what it is.

“If we start to complain we won’t take any step forward and the big clubs that want to try to achieve good things, they have to always step forward with the conditions, the situation we have.”