On Tuesday, Sport reported Bernardo Silva is ‘desperate’ to leave Manchester City. It was also said Barcelona see him as an ideal target to replace Ousmane Dembélé, who is set to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Wednesday’s Mundo Deportivo states Xavi Hernández has requested the La Liga side sign a new striker, midfielder and a right-back.
For the latter two, Silva and his Manchester City teammate João Cancelo have been identified as targets.
It’s claimed the 28-year-old midfielder is the one Xavi ‘likes the most’ and the Catalan club will ‘try to sign’ him this summer.
The newspaper warns Barca that ‘fair play’ problem makes signing the former AS Monaco man a ‘crazy idea’. It may still be possible to carry out the deal because Barca president Joan Laporta and Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes take the potential operation ‘very seriously’.
For now, the Manchester City midfielder is waiting for the Blaugrana’s situation to evolve, to have any hope of arriving at the Camp Nou. Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Lo Celso is seen as his alternative.
Mundo add Cancelo is also a ‘favourite’ target for Xavi and the manager would prefer to sign him over Real Valladolid’s Iván Fresneda. The Portugal international can operate as a left-back and is also managed by Mendes, who has a good relationship with Laporta.
Barcelona tried to sign the 29-year-old defender before he joined Bayern Munich on loan in January.
For now, the two Manchester City players are Xavi’s favourite targets and potential deals for them may depend on Barca’s economic conditions.
