Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva could be set for a surprise Premier League exit this summer after reports have emerged suggesting that he’s been identified as a target for Barcelona.
The Lowdown: Previous exit rumours
The 27-year-old first arrived at the Etihad in a £43m move from Monaco back in 2017, where he’s since gone on to make 251 appearances during his five-year spell at the club so far.
Even though the maestro still has three years remaining on his current contract, which doesn’t expire until 2025, it was revealed last year that the Portuguese wanted to leave the Sky Blues following the conclusion of the 2020/21 season, but he went on to have perhaps his best season in England.
Following a fresh update though, it would appear that the Lisbon-born creative wouldn't be short of a potential suitor if he was to decide again to leave these shores.
The Latest: Silva looking to leave City
In a new article published by Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), it’s claimed that despite the Camp Nou side being fully focused on securing the signing of Robert Lewandowski, there is another name that is ‘sounding strongly’ at the club, and that is Silva.
The source further states that the chances of a deal happening at this moment in time are still a ‘long way off’, but the Catalans believe that he would be a ‘spectacular reinforcement’ for Xavi’s squad.
The report suggests that Barca would be ‘more than happy’ to welcome his arrival, but could only afford to do so if they were to sell a big name first, as the 66-cap international looks set to cost around €80m (£68.6m).
Silva is believed to be ‘looking to leave’ City this summer, with him having ‘made it clear’ that he’d like to make the move to Spain.
The Verdict: Integral City starter
If the £67.5m-rated talisman were to depart in the coming weeks, it would be a huge loss t Pep Guardiola’s squad.
This season, the midfielder, who was once hailed an “exceptional” player by the Spaniard himself, has recorded 50 outings for City across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists during that time, as per Transfermarkt.
His creativity and control in the middle of the park is one of the main contributing factors as to why the Premier League champions managed to secure the title last month, so the club must do everything within their power to fend off any interest and retain Silva’s services ahead of the start of next campaign.