Man City manager Pep Guardiola
Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has been identified as Barcelona’s ‘number one’ transfer target for 2o24, it has been claimed.
The Portugal international is keen on making the switch to the Camp Nou, but Pep Guardiola did convince him to sign a new contract last month.
There have been rumours, however, that Silva’s new Man City deal could include a release clause. Fabrizio Romano claimed that it amounts to £50m – but it only becomes active next summer.
Guardiola’s preference would be to keep him for the foreseeable future, though.
The 29-year-old signed for Man City back in 2017. He has since made 312 appearances in all competitions, scoring 56 goals and making 60 assists.
In the process, the 29-year-old has won 14 major trophies with the Cityzens, including a historic treble last season.
Guardiola was asked in April if Silva is the best player in the world, to which he responded: “I don’t know if Bernardo is the best player in the world and I don’t care. What I see is an incredibly nice guy. It is a joy to work with him.
“He is an extraordinary player, absolutely.”
Barcelona desperate to sign Silva ‘in 2024’
According to transfer journalist Jose Alvarez, Barcelona have made Silva ‘their number one transfer target for 2024.’
In contrast to Fabrizio Romano’s claims, Alvarez told El Chiringuito that Silva’s release clause in his Man City contract is only worth €50m (£43.4m).
The report suggests that Barcelona could try and sign the Portuguese star in January, but it seems much more likely that they will have to wait until the end of the season.
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Silva is keen on making a switch to Barcelona at some point in the future. He was ‘desperate’ to leave Man City in early August, but as mentioned, Guardiola eventually convinced him to sign a new contract.
Barcelona’s definitely hasn’t gone away, however. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if they make a concrete bid for Silva in January.
If not, they will likely do everything they can to match his release clause at the end of the season. Whether or not the clause is set at £50m or £43,4m, is unclear at this stage.
