Bernardo Silva: Barcelona risk being hijacked by PSG
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 17 Aug 2022 22:16 BST
Barcelona's pursuit of Bernardo Silva could be under threat after Paris Saint-Germain reportedly entered the race for the Manchester City star.
Silva has been identified as the priority replacement for Frenkie de Jong should the Dutchman leave Barcelona and the Spanish side have publically stated their interest in the midfielder.
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PSG have indicated they would be willing to pay €70 million for Silva, while Barcelona are also hoping to sign him for a fee in that region, but City are adamant the player will not leave for anything less than €80m.
City have no interest in selling Silva and are even hoping to tie him down to a new contract, while the player is keen on a move to Barcelona but is happy to stay at the Etihad if a deal cannot be struck.
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Pep Guardiola has always maintained the club are willing to sell any player that doesn't want to be at the club but City will not consider selling for less than their valuation.
Barcelona's method of business this summer has included pressuring selling clubs in the media by leaking details of the player's interest in joining.
Silva reportedly sees Barcelona as his dream club but he is in no rush to leave City and is rumoured to have bought a new home in Manchester this summer.
The 28-year-old had asked to join the Spanish side in the past two transfer windows but a deal could not be agreed due to Barca's financial situation.
City's stance has always been that it would require a huge bid to buy one of their most important players and the club have not lined up any replacements should Bernardo leave, although Lyon's Lucas Paqueta is thought to be admired by the club.
Manchester City will not sell Bernardo Silva to Barcelona for anything less than £70 million, according to @JacobsBen 📝https://t.co/gzXolp6jsD
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 16, 2022
PSG would offer improved personal terms than Silva's current deal at City and the French side's new sporting director, Luis Campos, played an important role in bringing Silva to Monaco eight years ago.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are still restricted from registering all their summer signings until they lower their wage bill, meaning any move for Silva would not be possible unless De Jong leaves the club.
