Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Barca join race for Manchester City midfielder, Pjanic open to Fiorentina move and more - 23 August 2021

Barcelona are looking to bolster their ranks following the departure of Lionel Messi and have identified a Manchester City midfielder as a potential signing.

Barcelona still have a lot of work to do before the summer transfer window draws to a close. The Catalans have taken four points from their first two La Liga games of the season. Club president Joan Laporta and co. are still looking to offload more players in order to trim their wage bill.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 23 August 2021.

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Barcelona ready to let Samuel Umtiti leave on a free transfer

FC Barcelona v Gimnastic de Tarragona - Friendly Match

Barcelona have been looking to offload Samuel Umtiti all summer. The Frenchman's stint at Barcelona has been plagued by injuries. He has been deemed surplus to requirements at the club.

Barcelona had initiated talks with Umtiti to mutually terminate his contract. However, the player rejected the idea and the Catalans are now considering unilaterally terminating the deal, according to SPORT.

However, they are still looking to sell him and are ready to do so without receiving a transfer fee in return. If that doesn't work, they will axe him in order to trim their wage bill.

Miralem Pjanic ready to join Fiorentina

Cornella v FC Barcelona - Copa del Rey

Barcelona have been keen to offload midfielder Miralem Pjanic. The Bosnian international's move to the Camp Nou hasn't gone according to plan and he started just six La Liga matches in the 2020-21 season. However, the Catalans haven't been able to find a suitor for the former Juventus midfielder.

According to SPORT, Fiorentina are willing to take Pjanic on loan. However, they don't want to inherit his wages in full. They are ready to shoulder 50% of his wages. Barcelona are not really open to the idea and they want the Serie A outfit to pay at least €4.5 million. This has become a stumbling block in negotiations.

Although Pjanic prefers a move to his former club Juventus, he is now open to joining Fiorentina as well. The Bianconeri are unlikely to make a move for Pjanic after signing Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo.

Barça will negotiate with Fiorentina for the loan of Miralem Pjanic today. The main obstacle right now is that Fiorentina are only willing to pay around 50% of the player's current salary. Barça want them to pay at least 4.5M. The player would accept the move.— @sport pic.twitter.com/htuVpuLwmm

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 23, 2021

Barcelona to battle AC Milan for Bernardo Silva

Manchester City v Norwich City - Premier League

Jack Grealish's arrival at Manchester City has pushed Bernardo Silva further down the pecking order. According to Le10 Sport, AC Milan and Barcelona will compete to sign the Portuguese international.

Barcelona are being forced to navigate the initial stages of the post-Lionel Messi era in the absence of Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho. As such, Koeman is keen to bolster his side and bring in a playmaker.

In 45 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season, Silva scored five goals and provided nine assists.

TRANSFER TALK: AC Milan will face competition from Barcelona over @ManCity midfielder Bernardo Silva, who is attracting interest from Camp Nou.https://t.co/s4XC3yjKLV#TransferTalk #Football #ESPNCaribbean pic.twitter.com/O2mMvJWjHO

— ESPN Caribbean (@ESPN_Caribbean) August 23, 2021