Barcelona receive huge Bernardo Silva setback
Karan Tejwani
- 18 Aug 2022 11:35 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are interested in signing Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, but have received a huge blow in their hopes of signing the Portuguese attacker.
The club have made him a top target, amidst uncertainty over Frenkie de Jong’s future – at one point, it was considered that Silva would be bought only if De Jong was sold, but that scenario seemed to have changed.
The Catalans were hoping to get a deal done for around €60 million, but Manchester City want a lot more – a fee closer to €90 million – if they are to sell the player.
Barcelona are yet to make an offer for the player, and while Silva is open to the idea of moving to Spain, he won’t force a transfer from Manchester City in this window.
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It’s believed that Silva is firmly focused on the task at hand with Manchester City and is looking ahead to the rest of the season at Pep Guardiola’s side – there’s reportedly a willingness to forget about moving this summer.
According to The Athletic, Manchester City are also considering handing Silva a contract extension to raise his value – his current deal runs out at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Some within the club are surprised Barcelona haven’t come in with a bid, having seen them move for all their targets throughout the summer transfer window.
BREAKING: Manchester City do not want to sell Bernardo Silva and are not expecting other clubs to bid for the midfielder. pic.twitter.com/Hl0JMjttwm
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 18, 2022
Over the course of the last season, Silva rose to become one of City’s most important players, with some even calling for him to be named their Player of the Season, as Guardiola’s side won a second-consecutive league title.
Barcelona have been busy in this transfer window despite their difficult financial position, having signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
This has happened after the activation of four economic levers – selling shares of the club’s assets against future profits – which has allowed them to make some big-money transfers.
It’s unclear whether they have the money to sign and register Silva should they decide to go for him, which is why they’re trying to negotiate a significantly smaller fee.
