Bernardo Silva

[Silvatoure21]

Cheers, interesting either way. As sad as I’d be to see him go, I don’t want us holding him to ransom either. I just hope we bring in a decent replacement who does better than we expect and a good LB, we are done then and can plough on.

Holding him for ransom??? He’s under contract, and we have every right to demand top dollar for one of best players. To do otherwise is stupid.

 

[Ashleymcduff]

I can’t be the only one not excited about the prospect of Bellingham coming here ??

 

[Craggers]

Surely PSG couldn't afford Bernie's fee plus wages wiithout sacrificing someone?

This saga doesn't seem to be going away, so i'm hoping if he does leave this summer, we bring in someone like Neymar or Felix as a replacement.

If he went anywhere this summer I'd prefer he went to PSG. Aside from the obvious financial situation at Barca, PSG getting Bernie would, I suspect, rule them out of buying FDJ, therefore stiffing over Barca on two counts (missing out on Bernie and no one to buy FDJ). I'd leave Barca to fester in their own financial mess.

I can also see either Neymar or Felix being his replacement, moreso Neymar, as PSG would need to offload before signing, so perhaps a player exchange being a likely outcome.

 

[Cobwebcat]

As a slight aside, I don't get this buy the replacement before you sell. Is it much different to sell the player then buy the replacement?

Take Zin for example. Arsenal reportedly paid £30m plus £2m in add ons. Brighton then insisted on £50m plus for the permed one. Had we bought the permed one first would we have got that amount for Zin? Surely Arsenal would low ball us as, if he wanted to leave, we need him off the books.

No but we would have has one more full back

 

[Cobwebcat]

I can’t be the only one not excited about the prospect of Bellingham coming here ??

It’s a year away. We could all be dead.

 

[FantasyIreland]

I can’t be the only one not excited about the prospect of Bellingham coming here ??

Has that been mooted as something that is imminent?

 

[RayCTID]

Bellingham isn't going to be signed this season either.

 

[Sleeping_Easy]

If he was to go then Bellingham seems the ideal replacement but it doesn't seem like that would happen this summer. FDJ seems like it could happen but he doesn't seem like the right replacement to me and it obviously mean getting Bellingham next year becomes more unlikely. I'm glad I'm not being paid to make these decisions.

 

[Summerbuzz]

Well they're trying to save it, but surely all this mortgaging the future can only be done once. Plus none of these measures seem to be reducing their £1bn debt, so i have no idea how they are getting away with this in UEFA's eyes??

I guess they really are pining for the Super League hoping it comes along to save their arse!

If we hear one more comment from the fat, racist Tebas though, we ought to throw the kitchen sink at him!

They went nuts with wages and contracts during the previous era. Even last year, they saddled themselves with short term signings Koeman wanted. I can only imagine they were sort of stuck with most of the deals being set in place by the time Laporta took over and was able to exert control. Either that or he really didn't have any other ideas.

Anyway, what happened last summer is a drop in the ocean compared to what happened before. Greizman, Pjanic, others turned out to be huge burdens, many millions a year more than they are worth. But also, the old guard got big, big contracts. Between Busquets and a few others, the next year or two, most of those contracts expire. Added to that, they've struggled badly with burden of the COVID era and Tebas's barely concealed bias towards Real and aggressive approach towards Barca's finances.

COVID was a shortish term problem that they were left unable to cope with due to what had happened after Neymar's sale. But the burdens of that era should fizzle out, and they'll be left with a good CL side, fighting for the league, with three or four astonishing homegrown talents to take them forward. Seeing themselves through to that point is worth it. They'll never get the Messi era back, but they should be ok.

It's strange to us to watch them act so aggressively towards their own players. But these guys have been caning it in. It's like the hangover we suffered after KK's era - but much much worse. What would you do? Imagine City right up against it. Force Majeure struck, equivalent to COVID. All the incomes and outgoings are changed, forever. We need four signings to stay in the PL. McManaman, Mills and Fowler have 3 years left on top dollar, having lost all form, and the desire to fight to get it back. Not only that, but others who do put the effort in, have accepted pay cuts.

What do we think of the ex Liverpool lot? Nothing, at best. Fat and lazy leeches, at worst.

De Jong is a better player, definitely a player, definitely sellable.. in that scenario, he's the equivalent of Joey Barton, minus the reputation. Ok, we want to keep you. But we can't pay you more than you'd get elsewhere. You've been offered moves. You apparently like it here. What are we going to do? You'd expect City's board to fight tooth and nail for that pay reduction. Everyone else has made sacrifices, Dunne, the Goat. All through the club. Why not him?

 

[Kinkladze 1]

Has that been mooted as something that is imminent?

Bellingham was supposed to be all out for him next summer unless Liverpool went for him this summer in which case we’d forsake all others and try to get him now. That’s from TH if I remember correctly.