Barcelona have already identified their 'dream' replacement for Frenkie de Jong after reaching an agreement over the terms of the Dutchman's transfer with Manchester United.
A United delegation led by CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough jetted to the Catalan capital to thrash out the full terms of a deal for the Dutch ace after an initial transfer fee had been agreed between the clubs for £56.2million.
One striking aspect of the deal is how Barca president Joan Laporta has openly insisted that the player is not for sale despite negotiating the transfer with United over several weeks. The Blaugrana have throughout the summer privately been open to De Jong's exit and it is now reported that they have identified his ideal replacement.
It is claimed by Mundo Deportivo that Manchester City star Bernardo Silva is at the top of Barca's wanted list of replacements for De Jong. They are aware of the difficulties of such a deal with City's financial resources, but he is the number one option among Barca chiefs for replacing De Jong.
Barca's interest in Silva is nothing new and it even prompted a direct response from City boss Pep Guardiola at a press conference confirming that his side would be taking on his former employers and he conceded that the Portugal international may want a move to the Camp Nou.
Speaking of Silva's situation earlier this summer, Guardiola acknowledged that the player may want a transfer: "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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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.
A year ago, Silva had been pushing for an exit from the Etihad, presumably over the fact he had featured in just 26 of 38 Premier League matches in the 2020/21 campaign. However, the sales of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling this summer may mean that City do not countenance his departure this time around.
Silva featured in 50 games for City last season in which he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists, so it remains unlikely that the club will look to cash in this summer, particularly in light of Barca's precarious financial situation and in spite of their huge admiration for the player.
