Rumor: Manu Garcia Set to Return to Aris in Greek League

Last night, Raphael Wicky told the KC Soccer Journal, after the 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids, that Manu Garcia might be on his way out.

“Manu was available for selection, but we had some discussions with him about his future in recent days, and so I decided it was best not to involve him in the game tonight,” said Manager Raphael Wicky. “That’s all I can say. Everything else I refer to David [Lee].”

(Update 10:31AM) We’ve reached out to the team for comment from the President of Soccer Operations David Lee and have been told David will be made available “should there be any roster announcements during the remainder of the transfer window.” However, no specific comment on the ongoing Manu Garcia situation.

Numerous reports out of Greece are that Manu is returning to his former club Aris Thessaloniki. Sport24’s Thomas Michos says Aris is “making significant progress in the 27-year-old Spaniard’s case in recent days. The Yellows have reached an agreement with the player on the basic terms of the agreement and now the final details remain in the contacts with Sporting Kansas City, in order to complete the deal.”

They go on to say, “the distance that initially existed between the two clubs has been significantly reduced.”

Sport24 have been the leaders in the reporting on the Andre Luis transfer from Olympiacos to Sporting KC that remains in limbo.

You may recall that Garcia joined from Aris ahead of the 2025 MLS season. He was a package deal, along with Shapi Suleymanov, for a rumored $5 million transfer fee.

In 2022, Aris originally acquired Manu Garcia for €3.2 million, which is about $3.7m in USD today. It’s unclear how much of the rumored $5m transfer fee Sporting KC paid was actually for Manu vs. Shapi.

Ta Nea also reports Manu has reached a deal for multiple years with Aris and confirm terms with SKC just need to be finalized. Going on to say, “the deal is expected to be completed within the next few days.”

They are also saying this has long been in the works, pre-dating the rough 2026 season. “Last December, when Garcia was in Thessaloniki for vacation, he had first expressed his desire to return to Greece.”

This all adds new light to the dynamics between Garcia, Wicky and Sporting KC. He travelled with the team to last night’s game and even sat the bench, despite Wicky saying they decided not to play him. Maybe it was cover for the ongoing negotiations? However, when the KC Soccer Journal asked about it in the post-game, they were forthright. Garcia’s future doesn’t seem destined to be with Kansas City.

The question now becomes, what will Sporting KC do with a second open Designated Player spot if this deal goes through? They lost out on the race for Mo Salah, but they are in for potential DPs Yann Gboho and Andre Luiz with the Brazilian most likely to get over the line. Surely, they will turn their attention to the midfield with Garcia’s departure and Capita Capemba and Calvin Harris available to play opposite Luiz?

We’ll keep you updated.