Barcelona weighing up possible loan move for Manchester City star — reports
Barcelona are reportedly keen on signing Manchester City star Bernardo Silva before the summer transfer window deadline. The club are lining up a loan offer for the 27-year-old playmaker but they are not the only team in the running.
The Portuguese maestro has caught the attention of some other big clubs, including Atletico Madrid and AC Milan. Considering the amount of competition at City, especially after the arrival of Jack Grealish, and no game time guaranteed, Silva could be looking to move away from the club.
The Portuguese has suffered a dip in fortunes and fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City over the last couple of seasons. A key figure for Pep Guardiola in his initial years with the Sky Blues, Silva’s importance in the first team setup has steadily gone down. He has made 203 appearances for the Premier League champions and contributed 35 goals and 44 assists.
However, after the arrival of Jack Grealish, for a British transfer record fee of £100m, it is believed that Silva’s importance to Manchester City could go down.
Barcelona not the only club showing interest in Manchester City star Bernardo Silva
The interest shown by Barcelona seems to make perfect sense. Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri are shouldering most of the responsibility in midfield after Miralam Pjanic failed to impress last season. Consequently, Ronald Koeman would want to improve on this midfield, and Silva could be a perfect addition to the squad.
In addition to all of Barcelona’s midfield troubles, issues with Ilaix Moriba have seen him banished from the first team setup. The 18-year-old seems to have reached an impasse with the club over a new contract, with his current arrangement running out in little under a year’s time. So signing someone like Silva, who could be an option further up the field as well, would be a step in the right direction for Barca.
However, the Spanish club does not have the means to pay his entire wage bill. They can only afford to sign Silva on loan, which is not something City would prefer, and that could put a damper on this deal.
If a loan deal with Barcelona does not pan out, the Manchester City star might also have options at clubs like Atletico Madrid and AC Milan. However, both are only open to signing Silva on loan as well. Whether a loan deal would be acceptable to Manchester City is still not certain.