Arsenal are allegedly considering a late move for Barcelona centre-back Eric Garcia in the wake of Jurrien Timber's devastating ACL injury.
The Gunners committed to a £38.5m deal for the Dutchman earlier this summer, but he lasted just 50 minutes on his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest.
Scans showed a serious cruciate ligament rupture to Timber's right knee, which could render the former Ajax man unavailable for almost the entire campaign in a cruel early blow to his Arsenal career.
With Timber occupying a left-back role in Arsenal's opening fixtures, Takehiro Tomiyasu deputised during Monday's win at Crystal Palace, only to join the Netherlands international on the absentee list through suspension.
As a result, Jakub Kiwior occupied an unfamiliar full-back role during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Fulham, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is now back from a calf problem and ready to challenge for minutes as well.
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However, Mikel Arteta is open to adding another defender to his ranks following Timber's diagnosis, and according to Mundo Deportivo - via The Sun - Garcia is a name under consideration.
The former Manchester City man worked under Arteta's wing during their time together at the Etihad, before running down his contract and joining Barcelona on a free transfer in 2021.
Since touching down in Catalonia, Garcia has turned out 69 times for La Blaugrana in all tournaments, scoring one goal and setting up two more, but he is not a regular in Xavi's system.
Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen all find themselves above Garcia in the pecking order, while Inigo Martinez has also arrived from Athletic Bilbao this summer.
During Barca's triumphant 2022-23 La Liga campaign, Garcia only made the starting lineup on 15 occasions in the top flight, appearing as an unused substitute in a further 14.
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Furthermore, the 22-year-old has played just 11 minutes of La Liga football so far this season, enjoying a late cameo against Cadiz after failing to make it off the bench against Getafe.
Arteta apparently believes that his relationship with Garcia and the defender's familiarity with the Premier League would make his transition to life back in England a smooth one, and the Spaniard's versatility is also admired.
However, Xavi supposedly has no interest in letting Garcia depart before the end of the summer transfer window, and his contract at Camp Nou does not expire until 2026.
Despite Timber's lengthy absence, Arsenal are set to loan out Kieran Tierney to Barca's La Liga rivals Real Sociedad for the 2023-24 season, while Gabriel Magalhaes's future is clouded in uncertainty.
The Brazilian has not started a Premier League game yet this season as Arteta tinkers with a new approach, and both Al-Ittihad and Real Madrid are keeping an eye on developments, but Arsenal are expected to refuse bids for his services.
Ben Knapton
