There’s nothing going on between the clubs at the moment, but it hasn’t been exactly a secret that Barcelona are very interested in signing Thiago Silva from PSG to be the centre back that saves them from their defensive problems.
However, it’s not like the French champions are eager to sell the player they signed for €42 million last season, who is a huge building block in their efforts to not only dominate French football, but become a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, taking the first step towards that goal last season by reaching the quarterfinals and not losing to Barcelona in both legs, knocked out on away goals.
Even if PSG were willing to sell, after already signing Neymar for €57 million, it’s hard to see how Barcelona can afford a similar transfer fee without offloading some players prior to that. There are players they have possibly on their way out, but David Villa and Cristian Tello aren’t enough to raise the sufficient funds.
So even if Silva has referred to Barcelona as a dream team and possibly the best in the world now that they have both Messi and Neymar, it doesn’t mean he’s planning on going anywhere. In fact, the thing he is most looking forward to is enjoying the little summer he has left before he’s back to training with PSG after playing in the Confederations Cup with Brazil.
There are no negotiations to be talked about. I’m quite calm about it all and just want to enjoy my holidays. You never know what’s going to happen in football, but I’m happy at PSG, and at ease there. I talk with the president every day. I can’t see myself leaving. It’s difficult, not like last year, when Milan wanted to sell me. Now it’s very different – PSG doesn’t want to sell me. I hope it all gets sorted out as soon as possible to be rid of all this incertitude.
The only thing Barcelona have done so far has been Tito Vilanova approaching Silva at the end of their 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou last season, saying to Silva he would love to see him join the club. Maybe Barcelona are hoping Silva and his agent push for an exit from within, but at the moment, that doesn’t seem like something that’s going to happen.