Xavi wants to replace Barcelona midfielder with Man City star

As the summer transfer window approaches, things are starting to move behind the scenes at Barcelona, who are in negotiations with Premier League giants Manchester United for the sale of Frenkie de Jong.

The 25-year-old has emerged as a top target for new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and considering Barça’s financial situation, they are open to a sale for around £70 million, even though the midfielder himself has insisted that he does not wish to leave Camp Nou.

The Daily Mail is now reporting that negotiations between Barcelona and Manchester United are progressing well and the two parties are inching closer to agreeing a transfer fee. However, the Catalans’ manager, Xavi Hernandez, could pose complications in the deal going through.

As per the report, Xavi wants the Blaugrana to first sign a replacement for de Jong before selling him off to United. And the 42-year-old Barcelona legend has his sights set on Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva as his preferred target.

The 27-year-old Portuguese international has been on Barcelona’s radar for a while now and is believed to harbour ambitions of playing at Camp Nou. However, given his contract with the Premier League champions runs until 2025, signing him will be anything but straightforward.

If Silva is not signed, Xavi might not be willing to sanction de Jong’s sale, although president Joan Laporta could decide to go ahead with the transfer by overruling the manager. But that might not go down too well with the fans, given the status that Xavi enjoys at the club.

While Xavi is reluctant to let go of the Dutchman without bringing in his desired replacement, the midfielder himself could take some serious convincing to leave Barcelona for Manchester United.

De Jong recently admitted that he is at his dream club and is not considering an exit. At the same time, Man United are not involved in the Champions League next season, which will be another hurdle in their attempt to land the former Ajax ace.

So, there are a lot of factors involved that could determine what’s in store for de Jong this summer and whether it leads to Barcelona moving in for Silva.