Pep Guardiola has already hinted at a Bernardo Silva strategy amidst concerns at Manchester City.
The Manchester City midfielder has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent transfer windows.
Bernardo Silva’s contract with Manchester City extends through 2025, but his future at Etihad Stadium is uncertain. In recent transfer windows, the Portuguese midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona, but the Blues have been reluctant to let him go.
According to Spanish publication AS, the Catalan club made a late attempt to sign the 28-year-old during the January transfer window, but City rejected the offer. Multiple attempts have been made by Xavi’s team to sign the midfielder, with their most recent offer reportedly being a loan with an obligation to buy Bernardo in the summer.
Pep Guardiola has previously stated that it is no secret that Bernardo favors Barcelona. Given that the City manager has previously stated that he will not retain players who wish to leave, it would not be surprising if the Portugal international was not wearing a blue shirt at the beginning of the upcoming season.
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Bernardo has already made 30 appearances this season and is sure to make many more before the end of the year. Since joining City from Monaco in the summer of 2017, the 28-year-old has amassed more than 280 appearances and 11 titles. His trophy case holds four Premier League championship medals.
Guardiola discussed the possibility of the player joining Barcelona following a friendly between the two clubs in August of last year “I am not in a position to discourage Barca from signing Bernardo. We want him to stay, but I won’t accept anyone who is unhappy.” The first step would be for the teams to reach an agreement, although he has not been offered a contract in the past two seasons.
“There are only seven or eight days left in the transfer window, and we would have to turn to the transfer market if he were to leave the club. I wish for him to stay. However, it is true that Bernardo enjoys Barcelona very much.”
Guardiola has already proved that he is not afraid to make daring decisions by allowing Chelsea to loan Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich till the end of the season.
Last summer, following Raheem Sterling’s departure to join Chelsea, the Spaniard stated: “How can you expect the best from a person if you compel him to remain when he does not like to? It is not possible. I would love for the team to remain intact, but if a player wishes to leave, we will find a solution.”
When asked about City’s decision to sell Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Premier League rivals Arsenal, the Blues manager said, “When you don’t want to stay and want to leave, you cannot stay.”
Guardiola has no interest in working with players who do not want to be at the club. Despite his ties to Barcelona, Bernardo’s performance this season has been solid. Perhaps he has not been performing at his best, but the same could be said about a number of City’s superstars.
The Portuguese ace will continue to be linked with a move away from the Etihad, and it’s possible that City will adopt the same strategy as they did with Cancelo, Sterling, Jesus, and Zinchenko. Nevertheless, he must deliver and assist his current team in having a great season.
Whether or not he moves to Barcelona remains to be seen, but if he has his heart set on the transfer, Guardiola is unlikely to stand in his way.
