Eric García, before Depay

At this time, Clement Lenglet is the only healthy center-back in the Barça first team. With Piqué gone for an approximate period of between three and five months; Araújo in rehabilitation period after his injury in Turin; and Umtiti missing in action, the French is the only specific defender to face the Kiev match. Of the 29 registered for the Champions League, there is only one more central registered. It is Óscar Mingueza (13-5-1999). Born in Santa Perpetua de Moguda, he has barely played a game with the subsidiary this season. Last year was not indisputable either. The holders in the subsidiary were Araújo and Jorge Cuenca, sold this summer to Villarreal, who have yielded him to Almería. Except for surprise, Frenkie de Jong will play as a starter in Kiev alongside Lenglet and also while Araújo and, who knows, if Umtiti recover.

In this scenario, the name of Eric García is on the table again. Barça has a principle of agreement with the player to sign him in June and will try to advance him in January. The problem is that City will not give it away and that the Barça club needs to sell. Eric Garcia, however, happens to be the number one priority ahead of Depay, who was Koeman's big dream.

The signing of Eric García was so close on October 5 that his agent, Iván de la Peña, was at the Ciutat Esportiva until the market close with Josep Maria Bartomeu, then president, and Òscar Grau, CEO of the club, to close the operation. Although he even got to pick up the phone from Las Rozas, where he was concentrating with the National Team, to ask City for an effort to free him, Eric García (9-1-2001) postponed playing at the club where he grew up. Manchester City did not give in until the end and remained firm. Barça and citizens they were fighting over the variables until the end. The azulgrana offered 10 fixed million and eight in variables, while Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain asked for ten fixed and ten in variables. It does not seem that City will give their arm to twist easily in January despite the fact that Ruben Dias and Laporte are indisputable and the central defender is determined to be Barça next season.

Who remains in a difficult situation is Memphis Depay, who until Piqué's injury was the number one goal of Barça, a team without a goal, in the winter market. Olympique de Lyon was more determined than City to facilitate the operation, and the Dutch international also has a closed commitment to the Catalans. However, the scene has changed. Barça has an unwritten instruction from LaLiga that will prohibit it from registering players if it does not sell for an amount four times higher than the cost of the player who arrives. So Barça need to get rid of Júnior and Braithwaite if they want to bring in Eric García and Depay. It doesn't seem like a simple operation.