Barcelona are keen to sign Bernardo Silva this summer – and a report has now shared the proposal they intend to make.
The Portugal international has long been a player the Spanish giants have admired, with Xavi really wanting to sign him last summer.
Barca’s financial situation prevented them from doing a deal, but they remain very interested in the £300,000-a-week star.
Bernardo will have completed seven seasons with City come this summer, and there is a growing feeling that his time at the club could well be up. There has been speculation for a few years now about him moving on.
Bernardo did sign a new deal last summer with City, but the contract he has now includes a release clause – and Barcelona will use this when they present a proposal for the player this summer…
Barcelona set to make proposal for Manchester City star Bernardo Silva this summer
It has been reported by SPORT that Barcelona intend to make a proposal for Bernardo Silva this summer.
The Spanish giants are still said to have a precarious financial position. But the publications reports that their president Joan Laporta is looking to sign Bernardo in a similar way to how he landed Vitor Roque.
Barcelona signed Roque from Athletico Paranaense last summer. Barca closed an initial deal for €30 million. The fee will rise to €61 million depending on certain variables. The outstanding €30 or so has been deferred, with the club to pay approximately €5 million every six months until the total fee has been reached.
Laporta now intends to present a similar proposal to City for Bernardo, whose release clause is worth around £50 million.
It is unclear how much Barca would want to pay per month, and also unclear how much they would pay initially.
It is also not stated how City would feel about such a proposal for their £43 million signing.
City might be open to staggered payments for Bernardo
If we were talking about another player, then City would probably not entertain this.
But because it’s Bernardo Silva, a ‘special’ player who has given the club so much and someone who has been open to leaving for a while now, the club may just agree to a staggered payments method.
If Barca are Bernardo’s choice, then the club may well cooperate and work to make it happen for him. Joao Felix has recently hinted that Barca would be Bernardo’s preferred destination.
That said, if another club comes in and triggers this £50 million release clause and is ready to pay all in one go, then that complicates matters.
We will see what transpires, but he may not be the only player making this move, with Joao Cancelo – who is currently on loan there – also keen to sign with Barca permanently.