FC Barcelona Could Propose De Jong-Bernardo Silva Manchester City swap

Manchester City are interested in signing Frenkie de Jong from FC Barcelona according to The Sun, with the Catalans perhaps interested in a swap deal involving long-term target Bernardo Silva.

De Jong was involved in a long-running transfer saga last summer. The Dutchman finished the 2021/2022 season warming the bench at Camp Nou while deemed the cash-strapped Catalans’ most-sellable target.

Barca accepted a €85 million ($93 million) offer for De Jong from City’s crosstown rivals Manchester United according to The Athletic.

In the meantime, as United tried to convince De Jong to leave the club he joined from Ajax in 2019, Barca made an approach for Silva.

Because of Barca’s financial predicament, which saw them having to pull a series of ‘economic levers’ to sign the likes of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde, president Joan Laporta was dependent on selling De Jong to meet City’s asking price for the Portuguese.

Ultimately the potential transfer couldn’t be pulled off, with De Jong deciding to stay put while citing a desire to succeed under Xavi Hernandez and play the Champions League football United couldn’t offer as his primary motives.

A year down the line, De Jong’s future in Barcelona is again in doubt. While the playmaker has become a starter in Xavi’s first XI and key to a first La Liga win in four years, he is again one of the few names Barca could earn big money for while once more facing problems making fresh acquisitions, registering contracts and navigating Financial Fair Play limits.

According to The Sun, City are considering testing Barca’s resolve by possibly lodging a £90 million ($114 million) bid for De Jong, which is the price they were prepared to pay for Declan Rice until the England international joined Premier
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League rivals Arsenal instead.

Were Barca to sell De Jong for a similar price, however, possibly to Bayern Munich where Thomas Tuchel is interested in him according to BILD, it is likely they would use the cash to go for Silva represented by Laporta’s close business associate Jorge Mendes.

With this in mind then, Barca could cut to chase and propose a Silva-plus-cash part exchange deal for De Jong with City which might be straightforward to pull off considering Silva’s desire to move on after six years at the Etihad plus Mendes’ influence.

Barca were quoted something between €70-100 million ($76-109 million) for Silva’s capture in 2022, so demanding anything around €30 million ($33 million) plus the 28-year-old to see De Jong head to northwest England might be considered fair for all parties.