From Spain: Bernardo Silva pushing for Barcelona transfer amid Jorge Mendes and Deco negotiations | OneFootball

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva is vying to join Barcelona despite the financial challenges of a potential deal, as per reports.

Silva is out of contract at the Etihad Stadium in June and is likely to leave Manchester City after nine seasons working with Pep Guardiola, who signed the playmaker from AS Monaco for £43 million after he won the Ligue 1 alongside Kylian Mbappe.

The Portugal international lifted his first trophy as Manchester City skipper last week as the Blues won their first title in two seasons by claiming a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

However, Silva is firmly expected to start a new chapter when his current deal runs out, with no active renewal negotiations ongoing between the midfielder’s representatives and executives at the Etihad Stadium.

Bernardo and Barcelona – a match made in heaven?

This is not the first time Silva has been linked with a transfer away from Manchester City. In fact, a decent level of uncertainty over the Portuguese’s future has underlined every summer transfer window at the Etihad Stadium since 2020.

In a candid reflection upon his time in England, Silva has recently admitted that he came close to leaving Manchester City a few times over the years and went on to pay a strong tribute to the club’s fanbase for sticking with him through uncertainty over his future.

Barcelona came close to signing Silva in 2021 and Paris Saint-Germain registered strong interest the summer after – but neither club is believed to have made a formal offer meeting Manchester City’s asking price for arguably Guardiola’s most successful signing at the Etihad Stadium.

However, as he mulls over his options for the future, Silva will not have a dearth of possible destinations as it seems destined that the Manchester City captain will finally call time on an illustrious, trophy-laden career in sky blue at the end of the season.

Where Barcelona’s interest in Bernardo stands at present

As reported by SPORT and relayed by Sempre Barca, Silva has indicated his preference of joining Barcelona this summer when he leaves Manchester City – a path previously trodden by Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan upon the expiration of their respective contracts at the Etihad Stadium in 2021 and 2023.

However, despite Barcelona’s willingness, officials at the Spotify Camp Nou have raised concerns over the financial demands relayed by Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes for the six-time Premier League winner, who will turn 32 in August.

Barcelona have a star-studded squad booming with an array of academy graduates flourishing under Hansi Flick – and there are further reservations in Catalonia over whether committing to a transfer fee in the region of €27 million is feasible for a club that has faced major financial challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Negotiations have occurred between Mendes and Barcelona executive Deco and are expected to progress in the near future, with Silva reportedly willing to wait it out for Barcelona’s green light amid interest from the United States, Saudi Arabia and other clubs in Europe.