Man City ‘eyeing bid’ for ‘sensational’ £68m player as Bernardo Silva replacement

Manchester City are reportedly weighing up a £68million move for Lyon’s highly-rated midfielder Lucas Paqueta as a Potential replacement for Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese midfielder is under contract until 2025 but has been keen to leave since last summer and Jorge Mendes is working to find him a way out of the Etihad.

Despite Pep Guardiola reiterating that the Citizens wish to keep hold of the former SL Benfica and AS Monaco midfielder, the speculations refuse to go away.

The Portuguese midfielder is still being strongly linked with a switch to Camp Nou, and a recent report even claimed that the Portugal international had told his agent to open talks over a move to Xavi’s side.

According to L’equipe, the Sky Blues are thinking of Lyonnais, Lucas Paqueta, in the event of the departure of Bernardo Silva, who wants a change of scenery.

It is claimed that, out of all interested sides, Guardiola’s side are the ‘most advanced’ but even that isn’t particularly far and a move may depend on midfielder Bernardo Silva’s mooted potential exit.

Paqueta joined Lyon from AC Milan two years ago and has since scored 21 goals in all competitions. He was named in Ligue 1’s Team of the Year after his debut season in France and was part of the Brazil squad that won the Copa America on home soil in 2019.

Lyon are reportedly struggling financially and may need to sanction some sales this summer. Jean-Michel Aulas hopes to receive a new club-record fee for the 24-year-old, who is said to be valued at £68m.

As things stand, the £53.8m sale of Tanguy Ndombele to Tottenham in 2019 is Lyon’s club-record exit.

If Bernardo does in fact end up leaving Manchester, with the Portuguese coming as arguably irreplaceable, Paqueta could be an interesting option.