Even though Manchester City continue to state that Bernardo Silva will not be sold this summer, interested parties like Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are unwilling to give up their pursuit of the midfielder.
Barça are believed to be planning to hold talks over a potential move for the Portuguese international this week as we enter the final week of the summer window.
PSG, though, have gone a step further and lodged an opening bid of €70 million to try and sign Silva from the Premier League champions, reports L’Equipe.
The Parisian giants have already strengthened their midfield this summer with the signings of Renato Sanches and Vitinha, but are targeting another big move before the transfer window slams shut in a few days.
PSG are reportedly working on four deals in the last week of the window, with Fabian Ruiz (Napoli), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) and Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan) also on the agenda at Parc des Princes apart from Silva.
And they have made their move for the Manchester City ace by sending in an offer worth €70 million. The 28-year-old is someone that knows Ligue 1 well, having tasted success in the past with AS Monaco before he signed for the Citizens.
Luis Campos, who signed Silva at Monaco, is now the sporting director at PSG, which could explain their strong interest in him. And unlike Barcelona, the Ligue 1 champions do not have their hands tied due to financial restrictions and can afford to splurge without having to sell players first.
However, Silva’s heart is set on a move to Camp Nou, as confirmed by his Man City manager Pep Guardiola. Furthermore, PSG’s bid of €70 million is well below the Premier League champions’ valuation of the player, which stands at €100 million.
It does seem highly unlikely that City would let one of their most important players leave this late in the transfer window, with so little time left to sign a quality replacement for him. However, stranger things have happened in the market as PSG and Barcelona battle it out for the 28-year-old’s capture.