Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, wants to keep Bernardo Silva this month despite interest from Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish giants Barcelona.
Pep Guardiola’s side do not want to transfer Silva, 28, because he is seen as an important member of the group. Since joining City from Monaco five years ago, the Portugal international has helped the club capture 11 trophies, including four Premier League crowns.
The statistics on Silva speak for themselves. In 169 Premier League games with City, he has 30 goals and 31 assists. He’s extremely versatile, with the ability to play anywhere in the front three or in midfield. Guardiola has stated that he does not want him to leave.
PSG has made a £59 million offer to City. Guardiola’s side are reportedly apprehensive about selling the player to a direct Champions League competitor. This season, both City and PSG are trying to win their first European Cup.
Silva had a successful three-year stint in France, scoring 11 goals in his final season with Monaco to help them win the Ligue 1 title over PSG. PSG has dominated in France, with just Monaco and Lille denying them the title in the last ten seasons.
Silva has been valued at £80 million by City, with Barcelona aiming to get him for roughly £60 million. Despite PSG’s interest, the Spanish giants are the favorites to sign him, and he is reported to be interested in heading to the Camp Nou in the coming days.
Guardiola has already said that he cannot prevent Silva from joining Barcelona if he so desires. It is believed that the La Liga contenders have yet to make a formal offer, and the player has not informed Guardiola of his desire to leave the Etihad.
“I’m not the one to urge Barcelona to forget about [signing] Bernardo,” Guardiola said the following City’s friendly against Barcelona in Spain on Wednesday. “We want him to stay, but I don’t want anyone who is unhappy.” The first step would be for the teams to reach an agreement, although no offer has been made for him in the last two years.
“I don’t want him to leave because he’s a fantastic player and a wonderful person… but there are just seven or eight days left [in the window] and we’d have to look elsewhere.” I’d like him to stay. Bernardo, on the other hand, adores Barcelona.”
City has already lost Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer and will not want to lose any more senior players. They’ve added Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips, and Sergio Gomez to their roster.
PSG has signed five players aged 25 and under since the start of the transfer window. Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike, Nordi Mukiele, and Renato Sanches are the players. Angel Di Maria, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Ander Herrera are among those who have left Paris.
This summer, Barcelona executed a massive recruitment drive, signing Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Jules Kounde. They’ve also released other players, including Riqui Puig and Neto.