Guardiola will only let go of his Man City stars for Barcelona midfielder

Barcelona’s pursuit of Ferran Torres ended in a fruitful result as the agreement between the club’s over the Spaniard’s transfer is now complete. Yet, the Catalans’ interest in Manchester City’s players does not end there.

According to reports from El Nacional, Barcelona are eyeing the situations of three more players of the Premier League side to strengthen their squad. However, Pep Guardiola knows exactly what he wants in exchange for either of them.

Raheem Sterling is the first name on the list, and is no stranger to the Catalan press. Barcelona have been intensely linked with the English forward in the previous months, but the speculation came to an end when Sterling refused to take a slash in wages.

Bernardo Silva is the next name on the team’s radar, especially after his impressive performances over the past year. The Portuguese international is seen as a player who can seamlessly fit into Xavi’s plans. Moreover, his seven goals and sole assist in the league this season prove his worth.

The final player from the Etihad that interests Barcelona is Joao Cancelo. With ten goal involvements so far this season, the fullback has taken the league by storm. Cancelo is tactically adept and can play at either right-back or left-back with ease. Not only that, he’s an upgrade in either position for Barcelona.

However, the one factor uniting the three rumours to the club is the player demanded in exchange. Pep Guardiola is willing to allow any of the three moves, but on the condition that Frenkie de Jong makes the move to Manchester in return.

Since his arrival in 2019, the Dutch midfielder has not had it easy at the club. Despite having some very bright spots in his spell at Catalonia, the general feeling is that he has underperformed. Some figures at the club offices feel he is an asset that can be cashed in on, though De Jong’s environment maintain that the player is very happy at the club.

Any big arrivals at Barcelona will have to be coupled with big departures- such is the economic situation of the club. Yet, it remains to be seen if the board is willing to let go of one of the world’s most promising talents for reinforcements in other positions.