Last week, we covered claims from the Catalan media that Bernardo Silva feels it’s time to leave Manchester City and is crazy about joining Barcelona in the summer window.
The midfielder has a €58m clause and Sport report how Manchester City and Barca currently see the situation.
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City consider the 29-year-old to be amortised and believe they have squeezed out the best years from him.
Therefore, the Premier League side will ‘open the door’ for Silva to leave, as a favour to him, considering that he’s already given a lot to the club.
However, the newspaper claims the reality is that Manchester City have ‘done everything to get someone to take the bait’. In other words, they believe they can earn €58m for the Portugal international, who will turn 30 years of age in August.
This is the first reason and the second is the cost of the deal. Barca have to pay €58m and offer a high contract of at least three years for a player who will be 30-years-of-age, and this carries certain risk.
Barca sporting leaders are in favour of the Manchester City star’s arrival as it’ll help them bolster their squad. They are also aware Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes ‘will do everything possible’ to get him out of the English club.
If Silva is keen on leaving and Manchester City are ready to open the door for his exit, the newspaper suggests his final price should be less than €58m.
Sport end their report by stating: ‘Barca are working on it, but they will have to be strong so that this does not end up being another masterful move by Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain in the market. It looks like it.’
‘City set the bait of a low clause when the Portuguese will be 30 years old.’