Bernardo Silva ‘wants to leave’ Man City this summer and is PSG’s ‘number one target’
Date published: Tuesday 21st March 2023 9:01 – Jason Soutar
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Bernardo Silva has told Man City he wants to leave the club with Paris Saint-Germain very interested in signing him, according to reports.
The Portuguese midfielder has been one of the Citizen’s most consistent performers under Pep Guardiola – who has led Man City to four Premier League titles in the last five seasons.
His performances have seen him linked with a move elsewhere over the last two years.
The summer of 2021 was an uncertain one for Silva, who was a player Man City were reportedly willing to include in a deal to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
A move to Spurs was not tempting to the player, however, and it is believed that City’s sole bid for Kane was cash only.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, PSG and Arsenal have all since been linked with the former AS Monaco star.
It looks like it will be another summer full of uncertainty for Silva after Barcelona failed to sign him in the previous two windows.
The Catalan club’s difficult financial situation will likely hinder them if they try to sign the midfielder again this summer.
City do not tend to stand in the way of players that are looking to move elsewhere, as long as their asking price is met.
They let Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus join Arsenal last summer, while Raheem Sterling went to Chelsea.
Had Barca met City’s valuation of Silva, he probably would have left for the Nou Camp club.
That price-tag was believed to be in the region of €80million, which was obviously too much for a club going through such financial turmoil.
Barca did accept a bid in that region from Man Utd for Frenkie de Jong, but the Dutch playmaker did not want to leave, and had he gone to the Red Devils, they might have been able to fund a deal to sign Silva.
However, it seems that a transfer to the French capital is the most likely move for the Portugal international at the end of the season, if he is to leave Man City.
According to Relevo, PSG have made Silva their top target ahead of the summer window.
It is believed that the club’s hierarchy is ‘losing faith’ in manager Christophe Galtier and sporting director Luis Campos, though the latter is still ‘planning’ for next season.
And part of Campos’ plan is to bring Silva to the Parc des Princes, although the top priority for the club as a whole is to agree a new contract with Lionel Messi.
Silva ‘will try to leave Man City’ at the end of the season as he ‘wants a new experience, also in private life’.
In a blow to PSG, however, the player prefers a move to Spain but remains the ‘number one objective’ for Campos, who brought him from Benfica to Monaco in 2014.
The report claims that the Parisiens ‘offered almost €70m, but City ‘demanded €90m’ last year.
City will accept ‘considerably less’ this summer, however, and PSG are ‘ready to battle their rivals’ for the 28-year-old’s signature.
Barca remain ‘very interested’, the report adds, and Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes has spoken with the La Liga club on multiple occasions about a potential deal.
Inevitably, ‘the price and salary of the player seem inaccessible’ for the Blaugrana.
Campos will be busy in the summer window, even if his position as sporting director is in doubt, with Silva ‘at the head of his preferences’.
Man City are second in the Premier League, eight points behind Arsenal with a game in hand.
Silva scored four and assisted five in 25 league appearances this term.
