Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has asserted himself as one of the finest in the world at the Etihad, but there continues to be an underlying feeling that the Portuguese would be happy to move on.
At 28, Silva likely only has one big move left in him at his prime, although if his physique holds up, perhaps he could extend that. However having won everything possible in England, Silva may well want a new challenge. Only the Champions League remains as a goal to reach, which City have consistently come up short in.
Last summer Barcelona were heavily linked with Silva, and Xavi Hernandez is an admirer of his. Given their struggles with the La Liga salary limit though, questions remain over their ability to do a deal, even if Silva is interested.
Speaking to Caught Offside in his Daily Briefing, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano explained that Barcelona are no position to make any commitments currently.
“Barcelona have always been interested, but honestly now is way too early to predict their summer moves – we know Barça situation with Financial Fair Play so plans will also depend on the outgoings, they need to change the salaries situation. The interest remains but it’s not even a negotiation now.”
Previously, Silva had hinted that he would be open to a move during the summer, hence why some are sizing up his potential destinations.
Bernardo Silva: “In June we'll talk again to see what's best. I'm focused on City project and my contract would end at 31”, tells Record. 🔵 #MCFC
“I won’t hide that my goal in recent years, if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project”. pic.twitter.com/h0pywLZ19X
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 2, 2023
Given those financial constraints, moving for an expensive central midfielder would be a bold call for the Blaugrana. With Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi, it is one of Barcelona’s better resourced areas of the team, whereas others could probably do with major investment, if they can afford it.
