La Liga giants Barcelona are ‘fully convinced’ they can sign Manchester City star Bernardo Silva this summer with Jorge Mendes running messages behind the scenes.
The Lowdown: Wanted to leave
The 27-year-old wanted to leave Man City last summer and revealed later that the pandemic had made him homesick, as opposed to it having anything to do with his affection for the club (via Manchester Evening News).
The Sky Blues did not receive any bids deemed acceptable for the player though, so the Portugal international remained at the Etihad this season.
The attacking-midfielder went on a fantastic run for Pep Guardiola’s side, having featured in 35 Premier League games this campaign, earning an average match rating of 7.28 – fifth out of the entire City squad (via WhoScored).
The Latest: Update from Catalonia
According to an update in the last 48 hours from Spanish journalist Helena Condis (via Football365), Barcelona are ‘fully convinced’ they will sign Silva this summer, using super agent Mendes to inform the player, who is expected to remain patient.
City are said to have placed an £80m price tag on the midfielder are not interested in any swap deals.
The Verdict: Huge loss
When compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the 27-year-old impressively ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive carries, touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive passes received (via FB Ref).
Having featured 11 times in the Champions League for City this season alongside his top flight heroics, Silva’s importance to Guardiola’s side cannot be overlooked, consistently relied upon to convert defence into attack.
If Silva pushes for a move away this summer, this will come as a heavy blow to City ahead of next season, as he has become one of the few mainstays in Guardiola's often rotated starting XI.
In other news: Romeo Lavia could also leave this summer...