Barcelona eyeing move for Manchester City duo if Frenkie de Jong leaves

According to Sique Rodriguez on Carrusel Deportivo, Barcelona have devised two separate strategies to replace midfield mainstay Frenkie de Jong if he leaves in the summer transfer window.

De Jong’s future has been a topic of intense speculation over the past month, with Manchester United pushing extremely hard to sign him from Barcelona. The Catalan giants are open to selling the 25-year-old to help resolve their financial situation to an extent.

The midfielder’s wages are set to rise to a whopping €19 million per year from the upcoming season, a burden that the Blaugrana cannot bear in their current economic condition.

So, there is a good chance the de Jong could move on in the summer. And, in case of the Netherlands international’s departure, the Blaugrana have chalked out to separate plans to replace the midfielder, with both operations including a Manchester City star.

As per Sique Rodriguez, the Plan A if de Jong departs would be to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. The 27-year-old has been on the club’s radar since last summer and they are willing to go after him this year if there is a vacancy created by the exit of de Jong.

However, signing Silva will not be easy as he is tied to a contract with Manchester City until 2025 and the Premier League champions have slapped a massive €94 million valuation on their prized asset.

So, Barça have also devised a Plan B if they lose de Jong and cannot afford to sign Silva. In that scenario, the Catalans intend to go after another Man City star in Ilkay Gundogan. Unlike his teammate, Gundogan could be a much more affordable option as his contract expires in 2023.

The Citizens are open to selling Gundogan, who reportedly has always dreamt of playing for Barcelona. The German international is appreciated by the technical staff at Camp Nou, although his age could be a concern.

All in all, Barcelona are headed for a tricky summer that will require them to manouevre carefully.