The signing of Bernardo Silva will depend hugely on Frenkie de Jong's case

Barça have already signed five players this summer. The signings of Christensen, Koundé, Kessié, Raphinha and Lewandowski have involved an investment of more than 150 million euros, all to satisfy Xavi's requests to build a competitive team. But with the market still open, the club still have three new signings in mind, Chelsea full-backs Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso and Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

The Chelsea deal is well underway. All that remains is for the English club to find replacements for its two defenders. The arrival of Cucurella, from Brighton for almost 60 million euros, should facilitate the departure of Marcos Alonso, while Azpilicueta's situation too should be resolved shortly after. The addition of the Spanish international will mandate the transfer of Dest, for whom several offers have already been received.

However, the most difficult signing will be that of Bernardo Silva, which may well take until the end of August, as Barça are in no hurry. They are aware of the player's interest in joining the club, and Xavi has already held several conversations with the Portuguese midfielder to convince him. As such the agreement with the player will not be complicated. The problem, however, lies in convincing Manchester City to let go of the player, who is an undisputed starter for Guardiola.

The English champioms have already begun looking for a replacement should Bernardo Silva go to Barça. Pep has asked for Lucas Paqueta as an alternative and negotiations are at an advanced stage. All that remains is for Barça to raise around 80 million euros for the transfer. As such the sale of the Frenkie de Jong becomes essential to enable the signing of Bernardo Silva.

As SPORT reported on Monday, the sale of De Jong is conditional on a monetary settlement with Barça. The Dutchman prefers to stay on but would be willing to go to Manchester United, Chelsea or Bayern if the issue of his pending salary is cleared up. Barça still owes him some of his salaries, and also a bonus the player has earned. If any club is ready to assume these amounts as well, De Jong will agree to leave. Bernardo Silva would be keeping a close eye on the situation of Frenkie de Jong because his chances of playing for FC Barcelona will depend on the Dutchman's transfer.