Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe will urge the club to go after Barcelona target Bernardo Silva in the summer, The Sun has claimed. Barcelona were reportedly plotting a move for the Manchester City man last summer but it never materialized.
Manchester City midfielder Silva’s future has been up in the air for a while now. The Portugal international reportedly asked City to listen to offers for him a couple of seasons back, as he wanted to move closer to his homeland.
PSG have long been interested in Silva but have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to sign him. Kylian Mbappe, who now holds a commanding position at the club, will reportedly ask the club to launch a fresh offer in the summer if he ends up staying put in Paris. Mbappe has been linked with a move away from the club, but PSG are unlikely to let their poster boy go without a fight.
Silva, on the other hand, has a contract with Manchester City until June 2025. Given how integral he is to Pep Guardiola’s system, City is not expected to let him go unless a blockbuster offer comes in. The Cityzens reportedly have plans to sign a new midfielder in the summer in light of Silva’s uncertain future and captain Ilkay Gundogan’s contract expiry.
Kylian Mbappe and Silva played together at AS Monaco between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. They participated in 44 matches together in France, combining for six goals.
Kylian Mbappe officially named PSG’s vice-captain
Shortly after Kylian Mbappe became the first PSG player in history to score five goals in a competitive match, the Frenchman was officially named the club’s vice-captain.
Christophe Galtier's team secured a 7-0 win over sixth-tier side Pays de Cassel in the French Cup Round of 32 on Monday night (23 January). In Marquinhos’ absence, Mbappe captained his team, leading the way with a first-half hat-trick and two more strikes in the second half. Neymar and Carlos Soler scored the other two goals for the Parisians.
Speaking to the press after the game, Galtier confirmed that Mbappe was officially the club’s vice-captain, adding that the decision was taken at the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
“I decided that he is the second captain since the beginning of the season, he deserves to have this armband when Marquinhos is not there because he has decided to stay,” Galtier said (via The Daily Mail).
He added:
“He scored 56 goals in the calendar year. He is one of the world-class strikers, one of the best in the world. He's like that.”
Kylian Mbappe has been in blistering form for PSG this season, scoring 25 times and providing six assists in 24 games across competitions.