With reports linking Bernardo Silva with a move to Barcelona, there have been reports of a potential swap deal involving City’s Portuguese midfielder and Barcelona’s Dutch midfield maestro Frenkie De Jong.
Colin Millar of the Mirror has reported that Barcelona are again interested in City’s star midfielder. Millar adds that their manager Xavi has expressed his admiration for the City playmaker.
Frenkie de Jong transfer swap deal emerges after Xavi’s public transfer admission https://t.co/I00g4Gf0Sm pic.twitter.com/uhiNJyhDym
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) July 15, 2023
Mundo Deportivo has reported that Barcelona chiefs have met with Jorge Mendes, the agent of Bernardo. It’s thought with Barcelona’s financial situation that they can’t afford a sizable fee for the midfielder.
Steve Kay of footballtransfers.com adds that Manchester City are keen to pursue a swap deal of the two players. With Barcelona keen to balance their books to adhere to financial fair play rules, in theory, a swap deal seems an obvious move for both parties.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Everybody wins in the Man City-Barcelona swap deal 🤝
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) July 14, 2023
Swap deals are exceedingly rare in football. Club’s valuation of their assets in such deals rarely align. Clubs traditionally over value their asset when approaching such deals. In this case both players hold massive importance to the set up of both teams. A factor that surely would be a impediment to such a deal taking place.
With those factors considered, a swap deal for Bernardo Silva and Frenkie De Jong may be a bridge to far for both clubs. While it would fulfil a need for each club on the pitch, the value of each player to their club’s may prove the undoing of any possible swap deal.
