Barcelona are reportedly gearing up for another swoop for Manchester City's Bernardo Silva in January.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, the sudden retirement of long-serving Gerard Pique has unexpectedly freed up a portion of Barca's salary budget.
A report by Marca adds that Pique's retirement will save the club roughly £44million, significantly helping the cash-strapped La Liga giants. It is now claimed that Barca are ready to make their move for Bernardo, a player they were heavily interested in last summer.
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Bernardo's agent said earlier this year that the midfielder was keen on a move to Camp Nou but a transfer failed to materialise, and the 28-year-old certainly didn't let the speculation get to his head, as shown by two goals and five assists so far this season for Pep Guardiola's side.
Meanwhile, City are said to be ready to battle Chelsea in the bidding war for Milan forward Rafael Leao.
Italian media outlet Tuttomercato say the San Siro giants are preparing themselves for bids in the region of around £105m once the January window opens.
It says Milan may consider cashing in on their prized asset, especially considering he has just 18 months remaining on his current contract. Chelsea were interested in Leao during the summer and are said to be ready to revisit the deal in January, whilst City may well be on the search for attacking reinforcements if Bernardo moves on.
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