Paris St-Germain are exploring whether to make a fresh bid for Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
The French club tried to sign the Portugal international last year and again enquired during the January window.
PSG have been given encouragement that Silva might believe the time is now right to leave City, who he joined in 2017 from Monaco.
The 28-year-old has two years left on his contract after this season and certainly will not come cheap. A fee of around £70 million euros has been mooted.
If PSG make a bid it will also be contingent on raising money in the transfer market as the club are struggling with financial sustainability issues.
They were one of eight clubs fined by Uefa last year and are attempting to reduce their costs. Lionel Messi will leave at the end of the season which will, clearly, make a significant cost saving on PSG’s wage bill.
However, the main aim will be to try to move on Neymar, although the Brazilian has a contract that runs until 2027, when he will be 35. PSG believe there might be interest in the forward from the Premier League.
The club’s plan is to build their team around Kylian Mbappe in the hope that he will further commit his future. PSG are aware that Real Madrid are circling again for their prize asset, who has one more year on his deal plus an option for a further 12 months.
The strategy will be to go for younger, ideally French players to add to their squad and develop the likes of 17-year-old striker Warren Zaire-Emery.
Silva, at 28, does not fit the profile but is well-known to PSG’s sporting director Luis Campos who held the same role at Monaco and helped bring the player through. He is also a former team-mate of Mbappe.
Silva was strongly linked with a move to Barcelona and they may re-iginite their interest if their financial plans are approved by La Liga. It is understood that City were prepared to sell Bernardo to help create room and fund their move for Jude Bellingham but it now appears certain the England international will be joining Real this summer from Borussia Dortmund.
City are unlikely to try to stand in Silva’s way if he wants to leave and their valuation is met. With Ilkay Gundogan out-of-contract and having held talks with Barcelona, it could point to be re-shaping of City’s midfield at the end of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola has suggested he wants Gundogan to stay and the City captain has indicated he is yet to make a final decision on his future.
