According to the latest report from Ferran Martinez of Mundo Deportivo, the possibility of Barcelona signing Bernardo Silva has slowed down. The Portuguese international is no longer a viable option for the Catalans, and he is said to be out of reach.
Xavi Hernandez was said to be a big fan of the player’s profile and viewed him as the perfect signing to boost the team’s creativity on the field. Given Barcelona’s dependency on Ousmane Dembele and Pedri to crank open defences, Silva appeared to be the right solution.
However, the obstacle that has broken talks appears to be the price tag. Reports say that Manchester City demand a fee of at least €80 million given the player’s contractual obligation until 2025.
That fee, quite clearly, is one that Barcelona cannot get anywhere close to. The wounds of financial mismanagement at the club are still fresh, giving the Blaugranas little leeway in terms of expenditure.
Joan Laporta and Mateu Alemany travelled to Porto earlier today to hold talks with Jorge Mendes. Silva’s future is said to be one of the agendas of discussion, though the possibility of it happening is very bleak.
The 28-year-old has started 25 Premier League games for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, scoring four goals and providing five assists in the process. Further, he has created five big chances and averages 1.1 key passes per game.
Since joining Manchester City in 2017, the Portuguese international has scored 52 goals and provided 56 assists in close to 300 games for the Premier League champions. Thus, it is understandable why the English club see him as an indispensable part of the team.
Come June, Barcelona will likely target players at the end of their contracts who can arrive on free transfers. Ilkay Gundogan, Silva’s teammate in Manchester, is one of the names on the table that tempts Xavi the most.
