Barcelona handed boost as 28-year-old target prefers move to Spain despite interest from PSG: Reports

Barcelona have reportedly been handed a boost in their pursuit of Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva next summer, despite transfer interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 28-year-old star is currently among a number of players who are believed to be unhappy at Manchester City and have asked for a possible exit.

Silva's Portugal teammate Joao Cancelo secured a deadline-day loan move to Bayern Munich after a reported falling out with manager Pep Guardiola.

According to Barca Universal, reports suggest that Cancelo's loan move could open the door for more unsettled players to leave the Etihad next summer. One such player is midfield maestro Silva.

The Portugal international was the subject of serious transfer interest from the Catalans last summer, however, a deal never materialized as City were keen to keep him for the 2022-23 campaign.

Silva also became a transfer target for French giants PSG during the January transfer window, as per Eurosport.

They identified the Portuguese as the right profile to add creativity to their team and his acquisition is also said to have been recommended by superstar forward Kylian Mbappe.

As it stands, Barcelona and PSG will likely be involved in a battle for Silva's signature should he become available in the summer.

However, according to Barca Universal, the Portuguese would prefer a move to Spain if he decides to leave Manchester City. This puts Barcelona in the driver's seat to secure his services ahead of the Parisians.

Silva has once again been key for Guardiola's team in the ongoing 2022-23 campaign, scoring two goals and providing a further five assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.

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Guardiola speaks on the long-term future of Barcelona transfer target

There seems to be much uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, who is attracting interest from Barcelona and PSG.

Silva even admitted in an interview, according to Barca Universal, that he could be open to a new challenge outside Manchester City.

He said:

"I’m 28 years old, I’ll be 29 in the summer, and I have two more years on my Manchester City contract. My contract ends at 31. I will not hide that my goal in the coming years if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project."

Reacting to his comments, head coach Pep Guardiola stated that only the Portuguese can decide his future. According to the Manchester Evening News, the Spanish tacticain said:

"He's a key player, so important on and off the pitch. He's a guy who can talk, he's always a nice with conversation, you always learn about his humanity, his vision for the club."

He continued:

"He's an incredible player against top sides, he's incredibly reliable in decisive games, he's always there. Nothing has changed about his future, it belongs to him."