According to a report in The Athletic, Manchester City have made a final decision on Bernardo Silva and it’s not good news for FC Barcelona.
Barcelona have signed Ilkay Gundogan as a free agent and Xavi is said to be keen on bringing Silva on board as well. After winning a treble the Portuguese midfielder wants to leave MCFC for a new adventure but The Atheltic’s Sam Lee is claiming that Guardiola does not want to lose Bernardo Silva this summer.
Riyad Mahrez is expected to leave Manchester City in the coming weeks as he is on his way to the Saudi Pro League and the Man City boss does not want to lose both Mahrez and Silva in the same transfer window.
Pep Guardiola feels his side won’t be able to replace two such quality players in the same transfer window and because Mahrez is on the verge of an exit, the manager wants to ensure Bernardo Silva does not leave. The winger has already headed to Saudi Arabia for a medical which means a move to Al-Ahli will be wrapped up in the next few days.
Will Barcelona have to give up hope of signing Bernardo Silva?
MCFC want around £70 million for Silva and there’s no way Barcelona will be able to meet this demand which is why they are planning to offer Frenkie de Jong in a swap deal.
Barca are hoping this barter deal will be tempting for Man City because Pep is interested in signing De Jong but if the City boss does not want to let Bernardo Silva leave then the Premier League side will reject this offer without any second thoughts.
Silva is a top player so naturally, Guardiola does not want to lose him and if they don’t get the right value, City have no reason to sell him right now.
Barcelona have made it clear that they can’t afford to pay £70 million for the 28-year-old so a swap deal with FDJ or a loan deal are the only two alternatives but we doubt if Manchester City will agree to either of these arrangements. The Barca management has been in talks with Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes but owning to their financial condition, the La Liga outfit cannot make any major financial commitments.
PSG are another club who are interested in Bernardo Silva and they have made a cash-plus-player offer for the midfielder but Manchester City have swiftly rejected this move claiming that they are interested in a cash-only deal for Silva.
This news will be a major setback for Barcelona because Xavi is very fond of the Portuguese international and with each passing day, it’s looking like the Spanish side is going to miss out on the attacking midfielder.
