Guardiola: Barcelona will struggle to sign Bernardo Silva

Karan Tejwani

• 6 Jun 2022 12:26 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona have been interested in signing Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva in case Frenkie de Jong departs the club, but have been pushed back by Pep Guardiola.

The former Barcelona boss was asked about the possibility of Barcelona signing Silva, but has said it will be difficult for the Catalan club to complete the deal.

Barcelona have been eyeing up replacements for De Jong, in case he leaves the club this summer, and see Silva as one of the top options.

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“They will have a difficult time,” Guardiola said when asked about the possibility, perhaps indicating that Barcelona will be priced out of a move, considering their dire financial situation.

Why do Barcelona want Bernardo Silva?

Barcelona have been interested in Silva for a long time, even last summer when Ronald Koeman was the manager, but haven’t been able to complete a deal for the Portuguese.

Last year, Silva was open to the idea of moving to Barcelona as his game time was uncertain due to the signing of Jack Grealish, but a move didn’t happen, and the player ended up becoming one of City’s best in a league-winning season.

At the time, it was reported that Manchester City would consider offers of around €45 million, but that fee will certainly be higher now considering Silva had a season of 13 goals and seven assists and an integral role in City’s run to the Premier League title and Champions League semi-final.

There were also shouts for Silva to be nominated as one of the Premier League’s Player of the Season candidates, but that didn’t occur.

Barcelona are hoping to get around €85 million in any potential sale of De Jong, and those funds would be used to complete the signings of Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and possibly Robert Lewandowski.

The club are in serious financial issues, having debt of over €1.1 billion, and are looking for external ways to help their finances, including sponsorships and selling media rights.