Barcelona reportedly missed out on signing Manchester City defender Eric Garcia by a mere €2m (£1.8m) on transfer deadline day.

Since refusing to pen an extension on his existing deal at the Etihad, which will expire in the summer of 2021, Garcia has been persistently linked with a move back to Barcelona.

La Blaugrana reportedly stepped up their interest in the 19-year-old during the final hours of the window, but according to Marca, Barcelona's offer for Garcia just came up short.

The report claims that the Catalan giants offered a total sum of €18m (£16.4m) for the City man, but the Premier League side were not prepared to accept anything less than €20m (£18.2m) for Garcia, with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu intervening negotiations to no avail.

Garcia will continue to ply his trade at the Etihad until January at least, at which point Barcelona are expected to reignite their interest in their former youngster, who left La Masia for Man City in 2017.

With the defender's contract set to expire next summer, however, Barca may be prepared to wait for several months in order to sign him as a free agent depending on their centre-back situation.