Barcelona resigned to losing race to sign priority target with €80 million price tag amid PSG interest - Reports
According to El Nacional, Barcelona are resigned to losing the race for Bernardo Silva to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Manchester City star has been linked with a move away from the Etihad.
Barca have been touted as long-term admirers of the player. However, they need to free up their wage bill by a massive amount to make new signings in the summer.
90min recently reported that City have announced a €80 million valuation for the Portuguese superstar. However, given Barcelona's financial situation, it will be difficult for the club to shell out that sort of fee.
Apart from Barca, PSG and Bayern Munich are also interested in Silva. The Parisians might go for a squad overhaul in the summer, so acquiring Silva could be one of their priority targets.
The Portuguese has been a key player for City in recent years, scoring 53 goals and providing 58 assists in 298 appearances across competitions. Silva has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 47 games this term.
PSG superstar Lionel Messi's potential Barcelona return is 'complicated' - La Liga president
Lionel Messi will leave PSG at the end of the season, as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. A return to Barcelona might be on the cards for the Argentine superstar as he's set to look for a new club in the summer.
However, the Blaugrana are in a difficult financial state. They need to free up €200 million from their wage bill to make new signings in the summer. Given Messi's potential salary, it might be difficult for them to sign the Argentine.
La Liga president Javier Tebas recently spoke about Messi's potential return to the Camp Nou, telling RMC Sport:
“At this time, it looks complicated to me. There is still time, but there will have to be a departure of players and a reduction in the wage bill. They will have to be to be able to register Messi. And then there is a piece of information that we don’t know, which is Messi’s salary. There are still many variables.”
Despite being 35, Messi remains an exceptional player. The forward has a tremendous legacy at Barca, too. However, whether a return to his old stomping ground would be financially feasible remains to be seen.