Transfer Talk: Barcelona to compete with Milan for Man City's Silva

Published on: 23 August 2021

Bernardo Silva will have interested parties in Spain and Italy should he leave Man City. Photo by Martin Rickett - Pool/Getty Images

The summer transfer window is into its final month for the major European leagues, which means the biggest clubs are looking to make a splash in the market before the new season begins. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Barca, Milan in for City's Silva

AC Milan will face competition from Barcelona with Bernardo Silva attracting interest from Camp Nou, according to Le 10 Sport.

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The arrival of Jack Grealish at Manchester City has left the Portugal star's minutes in the first team in uncertainty, and it is now believed that Ronald Koeman's side are considering a move for Silva.

The 27-year-old, who has been linked with Milan in recent weeks, contributed to eight goals in 24 Premier League starts last season and was also involved in the Portugal national team's campaign at Euro 2020 this summer.

Silva joined Man City from Monaco in 2017 after coming up through Benfica's youth system and has been an integral part of Pep Guardiola's tenure, winning three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four EFL Cups since arriving at the Etihad.

With Barcelona still dealing with injury absences -- like Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati -- as well as the departure of Lionel Messi, a playmaker like Silva could be an interesting addition if the Catalan club can overcome their financial difficulties and find a way to bring him to Spain.

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08.00 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for Juventus' 2-2 draw against Udinese in their Serie A opener Sunday, amid speculation surrounding his future at the club.

Ronaldo eventually came on as a substitute, introduced on 60 minutes for Alvaro Morata, in a chaotic ending to the match that saw the Portugal international see yellow for excessive celebration after he thought he'd scored the match winner only for VAR to rule it out for offside.

According to Sky Italy, Ronaldo requested to not start the match. ESPN has reached out to Ronaldo's representatives for comment.

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri dismissed reports on Saturday claiming Ronaldo could leave Turin this summer, claiming the former Real Madrid player had told him he was going to stay.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)

- Fabrizio Romano is there is a new bid coming from Chelsea in a move for Sevilla's Jules Kounde. The France international has been the subject of interest from numerous clubs this season, but it is believed that the Spanish club will refute late bids that leave little time to target a replacement. The 22-year-old remains a key feature of the Sevilla squad and started in the season opener against Rayo Vallecano.

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- Internazionale will focus their efforts on Joaquin Correa as the Serie A champions continue their replacement for Romelu Lukaku. Calciomercato writes that the Italian club have cooled their interest in Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram, which has propelled the Lazio star to the top of the shortlist. The 27-year-old scored eight times in 25 Serie A appearances last season.

- Marseille have identified Alexander Sorloth as a potential replacement for Dario Benedetto. That's according to Le 10 Sport, which says that Marseille's president is looking to bring the RB Leipzig forward to France. The 25-year-old scorer has been on the radar of a number of clubs this summer, and it looks as though the Ligue 1 side will continue their summer spending after Benedetto joined Elche.

- Davide Zappacosta's time in the Premier League looks to be over with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that a move to Atalanta is close. The Chelsea star has struggled to gain first-team football at Stamford Bridge since the emergence of Reece James, and despite talk of a loan move to Fiorentina, it now looks as though Atalanta have won the race to sign the attacking right-back. The 29-year-old made three substitute appearances for Chelsea in pre-season.

- Corriere Dello Sport writes that Napoli have made official contact with Miralem Pjanic, the Serie A side keen on challenging Juventus for the signature of the midfielder. The report claims that Luciano Spalletti telephoned the Barcelona star in an attempt to persuade him to Naples amid interest from Turin. The La Liga midfielder is expected to leave before the end of the transfer window with Koeman's side deeming him surplus to requirements as they look to control their wage budget.

Source: espn.co.uk

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