The 31-year-old Portugal midfielder confirmed his exit from Manchester City when his contract expired at the end of the season, bringing to a close a nine-year spell at the Etihad Stadium during which he became one of the club's most important players of the modern era.
The Times reported that Silva is keen on joining the wave of new arrivals at the Nou Camp, with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick understood to have given his approval for the acquisition provided outgoings create the necessary financial room. A deal is reported to be approximately 80 percent complete according to Barca Universal, though final details remain outstanding.
Silva's willingness to accept a wage of around £80,000 per week — well below what rival clubs are prepared to offer — signals the strength of his desire to join the Spanish champions. Barcelona's combination of Champions League football, a competitive squad and the city itself, where Silva has family and personal roots, appears to have outweighed purely financial considerations.
Atletico Madrid have tabled a formal offer, and Benfica — the Lisbon club from which Silva graduated as a young player — remains a sentimental option he has spoken openly about pursuing at the end of his career. For now, though, the midfielder believes he has two or three more years at the top level and wants to spend them competing for the biggest prizes.
His exit from City marks the end of a generation. Manager Pep Guardiola departed at the end of the season, while centre-back John Stones is also leaving. Silva had captained the side in Guardiola's final campaign, which ended with a second-place Premier League finish behind Arsenal.
He addressed the fans after his last game in a City shirt: "It's really tough to put into words my feeling towards Manchester City. The love I got from this club, from you guys, I doubt I will get it again. So thank you so much. All the memories we have together — with my brothers, with you, the staff — this is a family. It will forever be my family and I am really grateful."
Silva joined City from Monaco in 2017 and in his time at the club won six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup — 16 major trophies in total, including the treble in 2022-23.
Barcelona have already moved aggressively in the market this summer, agreeing a deal worth £70 million for Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon and reportedly preparing a substantial bid for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
Silva's arrival, if confirmed, would add a player of elite technical quality to a squad already being reshaped at pace.