According to journalist Fernando Polo, the operation to acquire Bernardo Silva from Manchester City is extremely difficult but the Barcelona management is equally serious about it.
Polo adds that both the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, want to push for a move and Barcelona happen to be on the same page as the Portuguese ace has always been Xavi’s favourite.
For that, we have already reported that Mendes and Joan Laporta met to have a word on the issue, but the execution is more challenging than it seems.
As far as the player is concerned, he is more than willing to make an effort to move to Barcelona but wants the Catalans to start the conversation. It has been almost three years since Barcelona first thought of Bernardo, but it is now the time for them to execute the operation regardless of the obvious hurdles.
Now, it is not that Silva has only received appreciation from Barcelona. In fact, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are said to have approached the player and teams from Saudi Arabia, too, have made advancements but as it turns out, the Portuguese is only dreaming of Barcelona.
There are a few problems that might pop up if Barcelona approach the player. First, they need to make some space within their roster and if Franck Kessie’s reported move to Juventus gets the green light then only the Blaugrana can think of the move.
Secondly, if City are to lose Bernardo Silva this summer, they would want to sign a replacement and for that, they have proposed an audacious swap deal involving the Portuguese and Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
If not, the Cityzens would demand a fee in the region of €80 million and it remains to be seen how Barcelona can strike a deal, although there is a contingency in place involving a loan deal with a mandatory purchase option to adapt to this year’s Financial Fair Play.
