Barcelona eye Man City’s Bernardo Silva as Ousmane Dembele replacement

Xavi’s side are looking to sign a new forward to replace the French winger

After weeks long drama,  Ousmane Dembele’s exit from Barcelona is confirmed. His six year long tumultuous stay at the Camp Nou comes to an end even after Barca boss Xavi Hernandez himself pleaded the Frenchmen to stay. Xavi reportedly cited Neymar’s struggles after leaving the Blaugranas for Paris as an example to convince the winger to stay. Xavi was a longtime admirer of Dembele despite his obvious inconsistencies.

However, Dembele was steadfast on  the fact that nothing could convince him to stay. He said that he wanted to win titles at Barca, but cited “unsupportive team environment” amongst many other reasons as to why he was leaving. And when PSG came up with an offer Barcelona couldn’t match, his exit was confirmed.

With Dembele leaving a mere fortnight before the start of the LaLiga season, Barca have gone into overdrive while searching for a replacement. At the moment, Manchester City’s midfielder Bernardo Silva looks to be a priority target.

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Bernardo Silva has two years remaining on his contract at The Etihad. It was speculated that City might not let Silva go after the departure of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and winger Riyad Mahrez leaving for Barcelona and Saudi Arabia respectively.

However, City boss Pep Guardiola had long promised Silva that he would let him leave if a transfer fee was agreed.

Silva reportedly himself is in favor for a move to Barcelona. He was offered a lucrative contract extension at The Etihad. He was also linked with big money moves to both Saudi Arabia and Paris Saint Germain. However, he has rejected all three once it was made clear to him that a move to the Camp Nou was possible. At the moment, it is being reported that City value the midfielder at €87 million, and as Barca have just offloaded Dembele, they might be able to match that offer.

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