With their UEFA Champions League campaign already over and their chances of retaining the La Liga title also almost non-existent, FC Barcelona have started planning for the next season.
In the forthcoming meetings at the club, the issue demanding the most attention will be that of the head coach, with the club yet to make a decision on Xavi’s continuity.
In addition to this issue, another subject that will take a lot of time in the meetings between Laporta, Deco, and Xavi will be that of the reinforcements to be brought into the team for the next season.
In this regard, SPORT reports that one of the players that the club will be particularly pondering upon is the Manchester City midfielder, Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese international is convinced that his time at Manchester City is coming to an end, and wants to play in Spain for the next season. In fact, he had already communicated this to Xavi as the latter talked to him last summer.
His preference has not changed much in the last year, even after making inquiries from his former and current teammates with the Portuguese international team, i.e., Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Felix, and Joao Cancelo.
He also understands that there is no place at Real Madrid for him, and thus, Barcelona remains his only realistic option. Meanwhile, Barcelona would also love to have a player with the ability to give the last pass to the forwards.
Pep Guardiola’s side is aware of the player’s intentions and is unlikely to pose significant barriers to his exit. He has a release clause of €58 million, which is rather affordable by today’s standards.
The only problem for Barcelona is now their own economic condition. With PSG no longer interested in him, the Catalans have a free hand to pursue the Portuguese. However, they will face problems in registering him with La Liga, and getting back to the 1-1 rule will help Barcelona a lot in this regard.
