Barcelona appear to have turned their attention away from Manchester City, ruling out moves for Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gündogan in future.
That’s according to Mundo Deportivo and Sport, who say the Catalans are no longer pursuing deals for either player after months of speculation about possible moves.
Mundo explain that Barcelona are ‘cool’ to the idea of signing Silva as the club’s fair play situation and his ‘high price tag’ mean the club don’t see a way in which they could make a deal happen.
Sport, meanwhile, say Gündogan has been ruled out as a possible replacement for Sergio Busquets despite being an ‘interesting option’ as far as Xavi was concerned.
The German midfielder was the ‘clear candidate’ to fill the role but at the moment ‘everything indicates’ that Barcelona will not go for him.
Xavi wanted Gündogan to become the new pivot in his side believing that his ‘technical conditions’ would allow him to adapt to the role.
Any move in January was ‘complicated’ but seemed ‘feasible’ for the summer when the midfielder’s contract at Manchester City comes to an end.
However, the club have now changed their plans and believe the German does for not fit in with the profile they want due to his age.
Pep Guardiola has been trying to convince the player to extend his stay at the Etihad and that could now happen as Barcelona have pulled out of the race.
