Barcelona are reportedly out of the race to sign Rayo Vallecano defender Andrei Ratiu in the summer transfer window. According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Barca Universal), the La Liga giants have decided not to pursue Ratiu further due to the performances of Eric Garcia.
La Blaugrana wanted to sign the Rayo Vallecano defender as a cover for right-back Jules Kounde, who suffered a hamstring injury in April. However, Eric Garcia has impressed Hansi Flick with his versatility and adaptability in the right-back role.
The 24-year-old played as a full-back in the last month of the 2024/25 season for Barcelona and gave a solid performance. He played eight games as the right-back for Hansi Flick’s side and helped them keep three clean sheets. Garcia also stepped up in attack, bagging three goals and two assists.
Due to the 24-year-old’s performance as a full-back, the La Liga giants have decided to shift their focus to other positions in attack and midfield. La Blaugrana are keen on signing a new attacker this summer and are reportedly linked with Manchester United‘s Marcus Rashford and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.
Meanwhile, Villarreal are the frontrunners in the race to land Andrei Ratiu, and they also own 50% of the player’s economic rights with a buy-back clause of reportedly €7 million.
Spanish midfielder Gavi has claimed that he wants to spend his entire professional career at Barcelona. The 20-year-old suffered a long-term knee injury during the 2023-24 campaign, due to which he also had to miss three months of action last season.
Despite returning to full fitness, the Spaniard has failed to secure a spot in Hansi Flick’s starting XI. Gavi made 42 appearances for La Blaugrana last season, but played only 299 minutes in the UEFA Champions League and started just 14 games in La Liga.
According to reports, Luis Enrique is an admirer of Gavi and wants to bring him to PSG. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old has claimed that he won’t be leaving the Catalan club. He told Mundo Deportivo (via GOAL):
Gavi started his youth career at Real Betis and later joined La Masia at the age of 11. At the age of 17, he made his debut for the senior team of Barcelona in August 2021.
Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words ‘Liverpool FC’ written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds’ incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp’s managerial style.
He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.
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