According to rumours, Manchester City has offered star playmaker Bernardo Silva to Barcelona for £67 million, which may bankroll a move for Lyon player Lucas Paqueta.
Pep Guardiola, City’s manager, issued a hands-off caution to the Portuguese midfielder just 10 days ago, with both Barcelona and PSG sniffing about.
But it appears that the blue half of Manchester has changed its mind, and they may be ready to cash in on the 27-year-old.
A trade agreement involving Neymar joining City and Silva joining Paris Saint-Germain was rejected by all sides, but speculations remain that the former Monaco man may be leaving the Etihad Stadium.
Silva was extensively linked with a move away from City last summer, and according to L’Equipe, the Premier League winners have now offered Silva to Barcelona.
City have already made over £150 million from player sales this summer, with Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Gabriel Jesus providing the majority of the revenue.
Guardiola’s team may possibly be interested in signing Paqueta.
This summer, the Brazilian has drawn interest from Premier League clubs Arsenal and Newcastle, but the pull of Man City would undoubtedly push the champions to the front of the queue.
According to reports, City is interested in a £68 million move for Paqueta.
Cash-strapped Barcelona may appear to be an outside bet for Silva, but the Catalans keep pulling things out of the bag.
Due to the financial consequences, the La Liga heavyweights were slow to recruit Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen, but they have since signed Robert Lewandowski, Ralphina, and Jules Kounde for about £150 million.
Barca recently earned funds by selling 15% of their domestic broadcast rights to global investment group Sixth Street in a deal valued roughly £268.5 million.
Frenkie de Jong is a crucial domino that must fall. Xavi’s team appear to be betting on the Dutchman leaving for Manchester United this summer, despite the fact that the player has indicated his desire to remain at the Nou Camp.
United are thought to have offered £63 million for the midfielder. Collecting that amount and offsetting de Jong’s £165,000-per-week salary – as well as the £17 million owed to him in delayed wages – is critical to registering the players they signed this summer and potentially any others.