Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva has reportedly offered himself to Barcelona on two occasions amid links over a potential move to Camp Nou this summer.
Over the last 12 months, Silva's future at the Etihad Stadium has been questioned, with the 27-year-old admitting last summer that he was open to seeking pastures new.
Barcelona are seemingly the strong favourites to recruit Silva should he decide to leave Man City this summer, and head coach Xavi is believed to be a huge admirer of the Portugal international, who recorded 13 goals and seven assists in 50 appearances last season.
Silva's agent Jorge Mendes is understood to have already held talks with Barcelona chiefs over a potential switch to Catalonia, but Mundo Deportivo claims that the playmaker personally made contact with the club between November and December of last year.
The report adds that Silva is 'crazy' about playing for Barca and he spoke with Catalan executives in Manchester when they visited the city to discuss Ferran Torres's move to Camp Nou, informing them of his desire to play for the La Liga giants.
Barcelona chiefs initially thought that Silva was joking before they received a come-and-get-me plea from the playmaker via text a few days later.
Man City's £80m valuation of Silva is thought to be out of Barca's price range at present, given their financial predicament, but the Catalan giants could generate funds from the sale of midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has been strongly linked with a switch to Manchester United.
Oliver Thomas
