Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is reportedly eyeing a summer transfer move away from the Etihad Stadium.
According to TEAMtalk, Silva wants to join Barcelona this summer, although the Spanish club may have difficulties in terms of being able to finance a deal for him.
The Portuguese international was linked with a move to the Camp Nou last summer, although ultimately decided to stay in Manchester with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Silva’s time at City so far
City signed the midfielder from AS Monaco back in the summer of 2017 in a deal worth a reported fee of £43m. Since then, the 28-year-old has made 301 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions, scoring 53 goals, delivering 58 assists and winning a plethora of domestic trophies.
This season has seen Silva, who Guardiola has described as “extraordinary” in the past, feature in all but four of City’s games across all competitions, highlighting how important he is for the team.
To highlight what he offers Guardiola’s side, only Rodri (98) has a higher combined total of tackles and interceptions in the Premier League this season than the former Monaco figure (58).
As things stand, the midfielder has over two years left on his contract at the Manchester club, which, alongside with his prominence in the team, would suggest that it would take a significant transfer fee to seal his signature.
Given the widely-reported financial uncertainties surrounding Barcelona, this could be a big factor in potentially seeing the Spanish club not pursue a move for Silva, which would surely be music to the ears of many City supporters.
