Barcelona 2022 target hints at desire to leave Manchester City: “Move to a new project”

Bernardo Silva was one of many players to be linked with a move to Barcelona during the summer transfer window. The Manchester City superstar was one of Xavi’s top targets in his bid to add more quality in the interior midfield slots.

But the move never materialised as Barça were not able to afford the Portuguese international, who had a contract at Etihad until 2025.

However, coming out in a recent interview, Silva has once again floated the idea of potentially leaving Etihad at the end of the season. The playmaker suggested he may think about the prospect of leaving in the summer and is open to joining new projects.

“I’m 28 years old, I’ll be 29 in the summer, and I have two more years on my Manchester City contract. My contract would end at 31. I will not hide that my goal in the coming years if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project,” Silva told Record (h/t GOAL).

A product of the Benfica youth academy, Silva joined Manchester City in the summer of 2017. Since then, the playmaker has racked up 50 goals and 56 assists in 275 competitive matches. He is regarded as one of the most influential players at Man City, having helped the club secure multiple Premier League titles.

During the interview, Silva expressed his desire to return to his youth club Benfica but admitted that he is open to other projects as well.

“Going into a new project at the age of 29, I’ll only finish this contract probably at 34. If you ask me: what did you think 10 years ago? My goal was to return to Benfica at the age of 32 at the most. What do I think today? It depends on what happens next summer. I’m not going to lie: it’s not something I don’t think about. I think about it every year. It has always been a goal,” he said.

Bernardo Silva’s comments should serve as a major boost for Barcelona ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window. But given the club’s financial status, it might still prove to be difficult for the Catalans to afford a deal for the Portuguese international, who could worth a fortune even at the end of the season.