Frenkie de Jong saga takes new twist as development on Barca’s Bernardo Silva move emerges

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Frenkie de Jong’s transfer saga has taken a new twist as Barcelona will reportedly not have to sell him in order to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. The Netherlands international has been tipped to leave the Catalan giants this summer and head to the Premier League, with Manchester United and Chelsea keen to land him.

Barcelona currently find themselves in a dire financial situation after they were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic but have still managed to shell out mega-money to sign Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha this summer.

The Blaugranas are now said to be keen to sign Silva as boss Xavi looks to put together a team that can compete for La Liga and Champions League honours. And there were concerns that they would be unable to bring in the creative genius until De Jong had departed.

But, according to Spanish publication Sport, De Jong’s exit is not essential as ‘economic levers’ have been activated and the club will be able to register all new signings. And that could spell bad news for United and Chelsea as Barcelona may not be in such a hurry to force him out of the club.

De Jong has held down a regular starting place since moving to the Nou Camp three years ago and has racked up 138 appearances for his current employers. And he is desperate to stay where he is. Last month, Sport reported that he told his team-mates: “It’s impossible for me to leave. How am I going to leave Barca?”

Barcelona have appeared to be pushing for the ace to go, despite the fact they owe him an estimated £17million after he deferred some of his wages during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Xavi might now try to persuade club chiefs to keep him in Spain.

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Barcelona endured a miserable first half of the last campaign as they fell way behind the La Liga title contenders and were dumped out of the Champions League at the group stages. But they enjoyed a resurgence after Xavi took the helm in the autumn and, with the Spaniard now overseeing a much-improved squad, there are high hopes for the side during the season ahead.

Silva would be a welcome addition to Xavi’s team and has perpetually displayed his prodigious talents during five seasons at the Etihad Stadium. Since joining City from Monaco, the 27-year-old has bagged 48 goals and 50 assists in 250 appearances and has helped his side win four Premier League titles.

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