Barcelona are set to make an attempt to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City this summer if their finances allow. The Portuguese midfielder has been a top target for current manager Xavi Hernandez since he arrived, and reportedly has a €58m release clause in place this summer.
As per Sport, Barcelona will make renewed atempts to sign Silva this summer, after reported conversations between Xavi, the playmaker and his agent Jorge Mendes last summer. Both Xavi and Barcelona President Joan Laporta were holidaying in S’Agaro in Baix Emporda, north up the coast from Barcelona when the latter received a call from Mendes.
He pushed Mendes to open the door to a transfer for Silva last summer, and the end result was a conversation between Xavi and Mendes and Silva. The economic issues facing the Blaugrana got in the way of any deal though, and Silva renewed his deal until 2026. However the Catalan daily claim that if the Blaugrana can get into the black regarding their salary limit, and in turn sign players without restrictions on their investments, then they will go after Silva again.
The idea is to do so in a similarly structured deal to the one that saw them sign Vitor Roque for €30m plus €31m in variables in January. Currently the Blaugrana are paying €5m in instalments for Roque every six months. It is set to be a tricky negotiation, but they believe they can persuade City to part with Silva, in part due to the fact he will turn 30 in August.
The big if is whether Barcelona can get back into the black regarding their salary limit this summer. Currently their limit is set at €204m, while their spend is believed to be in excess of €400m. That gap is likely to close somewhat this summer, but it is still a major one to make up entirely. Doing so looks as if it will require at least two major sales.
