Gavi Threatens To Leave FC Barcelona If Bernardo Silva Signs From Manchester City

FC Barcelona midfield prodigy Gavi is threatening to leave the club if they sign Bernardo Silva in the ongoing transfer window.

The La Masia academy product, who turned 18 this week, was one of Barca’s main highlights of a drab, trophyless season in 2021/2022.

Breaking through to the Blaugrana senior side under Ronald Koeman, he became a fully-fledged Spain international in quick succession and is regarded as the future of the club alongside Pedri and Ansu Fati.

Yet while both those players are tied down to long-term contracts that run past the mid-2020s, Gavi is a free agent next summer amid interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Though it was previously thought that the youngster and his camp would agree to a new deal after the Andalusian came of adult age, they have reportedly informed president Joan Laporta and his board that Gavi will not renew if Bernardo Silva joins from Manchester City.

This information has been relayed by the La Porteria program in Catalonia, and comes on the same day that SPORT say Barca have made contact with City to discuss Silva’s potential transfer.

After Barca managed to land Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde last month, Silva is now considered manager Xavi Hernandez’s last remaining transfer target and is apparently available for a fee of around €80mn ($81.5mn).

With Gavi considering waiting until the end of the current window on September 1 to see if Silva arrives or not, his contract renewal is therefore considered to be at a “standstill”.

Put simply, it seems as though the teenager does not want to compete for minutes with Silva in a midfield where there are often just three spots.

Two of those are tied down by skipper Sergio Busquets and Pedri, with Frenkie de Jong also in the mix, and Silva is unlikely to agree to a move just to sit on the bench at Camp Nou.

As Barca are having problems registering their new signings and those that have already renewed their contracts, however, Gavi’s fate is also linked to De Jong’s given that Barca cannot make a solid approach for Silva without first selling the Dutchman and balancing the books.

On Sunday, both players are expected to feature in the Joan Gamper Trophy against Club Universidad Nacional of Mexico.