Bernardo Silva or Lionel Messi: Barcelona to move for one big star next summer

Barcelona moved to revamp their squad last summer, spending just over €150m on seven players to try and give them fresh hope of competing for titles.

However the opening stages of the season have reopened some old wounds as the Blaugrana fell once again in the Champions League group stage, meaning they will not only suffer the embarrassment of playing in Europe’s second tier for the second successive season, they will also have to work out how to balance their accounts.

The conclusion being drawn in the offices at Barcelona is that despite their investment, their only differential player in their line-up is Robert Lewandowski. It is something they have paid for in the group stages.

As such, their plan is to bring in another star who they believe can shift the balance in their favour. The two candidates are Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi and Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva, as per Sport.

Messi is out of contract next summer and they would have to persuade him to return to the club over Inter Miami or staying at PSG, but would be free.

In the case of Silva, the Portuguese is keen to join Barcelona but would likely cost upwards of €80m. That figure would only be possible if Barcelona managed to remove Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets from their wage bill and sell Frenkie de Jong. Alternatively they could sell up to 50% of Barcelona Licensing and Merchandising, but that is seen as a last resort.

Neither seem especially likely at this point in time. Once again Barcelona find themselves hostage to contracts from the past and unless everything falls their way, they will not be able to afford either.

Equally, perhaps the approach is mistaken from Barcelona, to focus on fixing issues with star players rather than finding collective solutions.

Tags Barcelona Bernardo Silva Lionel Messi Manchester City Paris Saint-Germain
La Liga - Club News