“Barcelona” shows a firm position towards Bernardo Silva. Did the deal fall through?

A press release has revealed that Barcelona have taken a firm stance in talks with former Manchester City player Bernardo Silva to sign him this summer.

Marca newspaper has clarified that Barcelona’s plan for next season does not include strengthening the midfield, as there was one clear objective, which was to sign a striker, especially after the departure of Robert Lewandowski.

The team also needed to strengthen the left flank, either by activating the option to buy Rashford or by signing another player, as was the case with the late addition of Anthony Gordon.

As for the defence, the aim was to complete the Cancelo deal and if any player left, another, preferably a centre-back, would replace him.

However, there were no plans for the midfield, on the contrary, it was expected that one of the midfielders would leave, as Flick currently has seven players in this position.

Initially, Mark Casado was the most likely candidate to leave, given his absence last season.

Agent Jorge Mendes suggested to “Barcelona” to include Bernardo Silva from “Manchester City”.

It was a long time ago and the Catalan club had shown interest in the Portuguese in previous seasons, so the offer was welcomed.

Versatile, Silva can play in multiple positions, whether in midfield or attack. In addition, he will join Barcelona on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester City expires.

Barcelona looked into the deal and informed Mendes that it was possible, and then other clubs interested in signing him lined up, where Atletico Madrid have shown a strong interest in Real Madrid. This increased the player’s financial demands, as interested clubs were ready to offer him a lucrative salary.

In this situation, “Barcelona” has adopted a firm position. Bernardo Silva could join the Blaugrana, but under certain conditions.

The club won’t pay the player as much as if he were a first-team star, and sporting director Deco is very clear about his limits.

Barcelona are not prepared to spend huge sums or offer him a higher salary than most players in the current squad and this is where the deal fell apart.

The Portuguese has since made statements in which he has admitted Barcelona is one of his possible destinations, although he is considering other options.

He stressed that his priority is to join a club he really believes in and said: “Ultimately, I will strive to find a team that will accept me, a team where I will feel truly valued. This is extremely important and you will know my decision the day I make it.”

So the situation remains the same. On the one hand, “Barcelona” will not improve their financial offer, and on the other hand, they are waiting for the departure of one of their midfielders before completing the deal.

In this context, the fact that Marc Casado and Bernardo Silva share the same agent, Jorge Mendes, could make things easier.