Barcelona facing Bernardo Silva decision as midfielder set to leave Manchester City this summer
Barcelona are facing a massive decision this summer as one of their longtime targets is set to become available on the transfer market: Bernardo Silva is ready to leave Manchester City this summer and wants a move to Camp Nou, according to Fernando Polo of Mundo Deportivo.
Bernardo to Barça was already a hot topic 12 months ago when the Blaugrana negotiated the loan of João Cancelo and tested the waters of a possible deal for the Portuguese midfielder, but City’s asking price was too high at the time. Bernardo then signed a new deal until 2026 but included a €50 million release clause, which could potentially facilitate a move to Barça if their salary cap situation is better this summer.
Xavi Hernández, who is a big fan of the 29-year-old, has allegedly asked for Bernardo’s signing as one of the conditions to reverse his decision to leave at the end of the season and stay as first team coach, and Silva’s desire to move to Catalonia is pretty widely known as well.
The only problem is Barça have other priorities such as the signing of a new defensive midfielder and a permanent deal for Cancelo, as well as sorting out the future of João Félix and potentially making a couple of big sales to open up enough salary cap space to accomodate all of those moves.
The report claims this is Barça’s “last chance” to get Bernardo, who might finally decide to not wait for the Blaugrana and join another club on a long-term deal. Xavi’s decision will surely have a major impact on the club’s appetite to sign Bernardo, so this story will definitely have many chapters between now and the summer.
