Barcelona will move for Man City superstar as Plan B if Messi does not arrive – report

It is no secret that Barcelona have made it one of their top priorities to re-sign Lionel Messi this summer. The Argentina captain will become a free agent in a month and is at the top of the wishlist of Xavi and Joan Laporta.

However, with there being delays in La Liga approving the club’s economic viability plan, Barça are yet to table a formal contract offer to their former skipper.

As such, there is a chance that the Blaugrana might end up missing out on a shot to re-sign the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, especially with Al Hilal pushing for his services with a ludicrous contract offer.

As such, Gerard Romero is reporting that if Barcelona do not get their hands on Messi, the plan B for the summer will be to go after Manchester City superstar Bernardo Silva again.

The Portuguese international has been on the Catalan giants’ radars for a couple of years already. Last summer, attempts were made to sign him but the financial situation prevented the transfer from going through.

Silva continues to be on the wishlist of Xavi and in case Messi does not arrive, the former AS Monaco attacking midfielder would be the alternative for the La Liga champions.

Silva, for his part, is understood to be tempted by the prospect of signing for Barcelona. And if he expresses his desire to leave, Manchester City are unlikely to stand in his way either, as long as their demands are met.

That is where things could get tricky for Barcelona as Silva could command a fee in the region of £75 million, which might not be within their reach, especially with the club also planning to sign a new pivot midfielder and a right-back.