Barcelona, after years of difficulties, has set its sights on key players from Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Manchester City has been a global benchmark, with Haaland and Bernardo Silva as Barcelona's targets.
In particular, Haaland, considered one of the best forwards on the planet, has been named several times as a Barça target, but his signing seems impossible.
Xavi's Desired Signing
During the summer of 2022, Barcelona was close to finalizing the signing of Bernardo Silva. With an almost sealed agreement with both the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, it seemed that the Portuguese was going to be one of the star reinforcements for Camp Nou.
However, Manchester City was not willing to let him go for less than €80 million. This figure proved unattainable for a Barça that was already facing financial difficulties.
Although the signing did not materialize at that time, Barcelona never stopped dreaming of incorporating the midfielder. Silva was considered key to Xavi's project, who valued his adaptability and creativity. But the situation has changed radically.
Laporta Changes Stance and Says Goodbye to Bernardo
The news that has shaken Barcelona fans is that Joan Laporta, after a deeper analysis, has decided to close the Bernardo Silva issue, according to El Nacional. The president has changed his stance and made it clear that the club is no longer interested in signing the Portuguese.
Although Silva remains a great footballer, Laporta considers it unnecessary to sign another midfielder who doesn't guarantee a starting position. So far this season, Silva's performances haven't been as outstanding as expected. He has been criticized for some of Manchester City's poor results, and this has caused his value to drop in the eyes of the Barça leaders.
Without Xavi on the bench, the Portuguese has lost his main supporter, sealing his future at Barça.
Hans-Dieter Flick's Refusal
Not only has Laporta closed the door on Silva. Hans-Dieter Flick, the German coach who has been mentioned as a possible candidate to manage Barça in the future, has also not shown interest in signing the midfielder.
The main reason is that, beyond his quality, Silva is no longer a young player. At almost 31 years old, the versatile footballer could be in the final phase of his career at the biggest clubs in Europe. For Flick, betting on new talents with greater potential seems to be a priority.