Barcelona have been given the green light to sign Manchester City star Bernardo Silva this summer by the player’s agent Jorge Mendes.
The arrival of Silva would be as a de facto replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who has been handed a 10-day deadline over an exit this summer window with both Manchester United and Chelsea pursuing a deal. It comes after United boss Erik ten Hag instructed United to remain patient on a deal after holding fresh talks with the player.
While United have an initial fee in place with the Catalan club over a transfer which would reunite De Jong with his former Ajax boss Ten Hag, Blues chiefs have made contact with Barca and held discussions with de Jong’s representatives and are now strong contenders to sign him from under United’s noses.
United are believed to remain in pole position to land De Jong but talks over a move have now entered their 13 th week due to complications surrounding the move. The process may well receive a major boost as Barca step up their pursuit of City ace Silva.
Silva has bagged 48 goals across 251 first-team appearances for City since his transfer from Monaco in 2017 and has flourished under Guardiola's coaching. However, last season he enjoyed more prominence than ever – with a career-high 33 Premier League starts and eight Premier League goals while starting in 11 of the club's 12 Champions League matches.
Earlier this summer, Pep Guardiola acknowledged that the Portugal international may have his heart set on a move to the Camp Nou: "Today I think Bernardo Silva will stay. But as I've always said, from my time at Barca, I don't want players who don't want to be at my club. What I can say is that Bernardo is important to us."
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A report from Spanish radio station Cadena Cope outlines how Barca have now been given encouragement over a deal by Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes. He is said to have given the move his blessing and this green light could ramp up their pursuit of the player.
Barca boss Xavi Hernandez believes that Silva would occupy the midfield role that De Jong has primarily been deployed in during his time at the Camp Nou, even though the Portuguese ace has more frequently been used as part of a front three under Guardiola.
Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde have all joined Barca’s ranks this summer, but none will be available for selection until La Liga inform them that their contracts are viable with the club’s financial situation. The same registration issue applies to Ousmane Dembele, who signed a new contract after his previous deal expired.
That is directly linked into the future of De Jong, who is the highest paid Barca player and alongside his lucrative wage packet, he is owed €17million in amortizations and back payments from the club. A report by Marca illustrates how his exit is not an absolute necessity for the club, but it is dependant upon the club offloading multiple other players.
