Ronald Koeman has suggested that Barcelona will not be signing Eric Garcia in the summer transfer window.
The Manchester City youngster had been convinced enough by a return to the Nou Camp to tell the Blues he would not sign an extension to his current deal that runs out in 2021.
Barcelona have made it clear how much they would like Garcia and this week sporting director Ramon Planes reiterated that they want to sign him. However, the club - having refused to consider selling Lionel Messi for a fee when he wanted to leave - are so short of funds that they are unable to buy any players without selling, as Lyon's president publicly revealed following reports that Memphis Depay was moving to the Catalan club.
Koeman confirmed that claim on Tuesday night before adding that the squad that they currently have will likely remain the same for the season.
"We're working towards the new season and I think we will go into it with the same group of players that we have now for pre-season," he said.
Garcia was not picked by Pep Guardiola to play against Real Madrid in the Champions League following his request to leave. But the 20-year-old was restored to a questionable starting line-up for the Lyon quarter-final and City had said they would not have a problem keeping the player until the end of his contract should Barcelona not come up with a suitable bid.
Guardiola will have to weigh up his centre-back options for the Premier League opener against Wolves on Monday, with first choice centre-back Aymeric Laporte forced to self-isolate after a positive Covid-19 test.
