Behind the move of one of Europe’s biggest stars to Real Madrid this summer, there was another destination the player wanted to reach. However, several crucial details in the negotiations prevented the transfer from happening. The surprising part is that the player himself had a clear desire to wear the Barcelona shirt and play under Hansi Flick.
The story went beyond simple interest from the Catalan club, as Deco has now revealed what happened during the negotiations and explained why several factors ultimately pushed the transfer in a completely different direction before Real Madrid completed the move.
Barcelona sporting director Deco revealed that Bernardo Silva wanted to join Barcelona, but the deal ultimately failed to materialize.
“Hto Barça, but it didn’t work out,” Deco said in an interview with Spanish radio. He explained that Barcelona had specific parameters regarding the type of player they were looking for, and Silva’s position was not the one the club wanted to strengthen at that stage.
The sporting aspect was not the only obstacle. Deco also revealed that the negotiations came down to financial terms and playing time, with Silva wanting greater guarantees over his involvement.
According to Deco, the difference between the player’s expectations and Barcelona’s vision made the transfer impossible, despite Silva’s desire to join the Catalan giants.
Silva eventually left Manchester City after nine successful years and joined Real Madrid as a free agent. However, while the move was technically a free transfer, it reportedly involved a major financial package, including a €10 million signing bonus, a €10 million agent fee and a €20 million annual salary for three years.
Barcelona’s offer was reportedly significantly lower, which contributed to the failure to reach an agreement with the Portuguese midfielder.
After the Bernardo Silva move failed, Barcelona turned to another former Manchester City midfielder, Rodri. However, Deco revealed that signing Rodri had not even been considered several months earlier.
Deco explained that Barcelona initially viewed the deal as impossible because Rodri still had another year remaining on his Manchester City contract. That situation changed once it became clear that City could allow him to leave.
After Barcelona learned that Manchester City were willing to let Rodri go, Deco contacted the English club’s sporting director, opening the door for the eventual move.
Deco’s comments therefore reveal that Barcelona were dealing with two very different scenarios: Bernardo Silva wanted to move to Camp Nou, but differences over his position, financial terms and playing-time expectations prevented the deal, while Manchester City’s change of stance eventually made Rodri’s move to Barcelona possible instead.