Manchester City willing to consider Barcelona superstar as part of swap deal for Bernardo Silva: Reports

Manchester City are reportedly willing to consider a possible swap deal involving Bernardo Silva and Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.

The Catalan giants' interest in the Portuguese superstar is well-known at this point. But according to Marca (h/t Fichajes.net), Manchester City are demanding €80 million for him, which is proving to be a barrier for the club from Catalonia.

However, it has been claimed that the Cityzens will be open to a deal if De Jong swapped teams. He hasn't set the world alight with his form since signing from Ajax four years ago for €86 million.

The Netherlands international has nevertheless remained a regular in Barca's first-team set-up, registering 15 goals and 21 assists in 183 games during that time. Last summer, Barcelona came close to selling him to Manchester United but the player rejected the offer.

It remains to be seen if they are still open to letting De Jong leave this summer. The Catalan giants are apparently yet to decide if they want to include him in a deal for Silva.

The Portuguese playmaker has played down the right flank for the majority of his career. But he has been moulded into a central midfielder in recent seasons by Pep Guardiola — a versatility that could appeal to Xavi.

Moreover, the two teams would also have to decide if cash needs to be involved or if it would be a straight swap deal. Silva, 28, has two years left on his contract at the Etihad. De Jong (26), meanwhile, has three years left on his deal at Spotify Camp Nou.

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Barcelona defender has rejected lucrative Manchester City offer - reports

Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has reportedly rejected a lucrative offer to join Manchester City this summer.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Cityzens' offer would have given him a nice boost to his wages. But he is only interested in staying at Barca and is set to pen a new deal that extends his stay until 2027 or 2028.

Balde, 19, replaced Jordi Alba as Barcelona's starting left-back last season and even saw himself playing on the opposite flank a handful of times. He registered a total of one goal and seven assists in 44 games across competitions during that time.

Jordi Alba has left the club as a free agent, which has further cleared the teenager's path towards being the club's first-choice left-back. Manchester City currently have only Sergio Gomez as a natural left-back.

Joao Cancelo can also play down that flank but according to Dean Jones (h/t GiveMeSport), he is expected to leave the club this summer.