Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has stated that Bernardo Silva "likes Barcelona a lot" despite the persistent rumours over the attacker's future. In the last hours of the summer transfer window, the Catalan giants are thought to be eager to sign the Portugal international.
Wednesday's 3-3 tie between Man City and Barcelona saw 64 minutes of play from Bernardo, and after the friendly, Guardiola spoke with the attacker about his future.
"I'm no one to tell Barca to forget about (signing) Bernardo. We want him to stay with us, but I don't want anyone who's not happy."
Guardiola told reporters.
"The first thing would be for the clubs to come to an agreement, but there has been no offer for him in these last two years,"
"I don't want him to go, he's a superlative player and a great person... and there are only seven or eight days left (in the window) and we would have to turn to the transfer market. I want him to stay. That said, it is true Bernardo likes Barcelona a lot."
Ferran Soriano, the CEO of Man City, recently addressed the rumours and asserted that Bernardo's time for leaving had passed. Speaking to Spanish outlet Que T'hi Jugues, Soriano said:
"It's a little late [in the transfer window] to talk about ins and outs. This story has taken many turns and, in the end, it has never moved from its starting point."
The Portuguese player, who has made three Premier League appearances this season and has one goal and one assist, has also reportedly caught attention PSG.
Bernardo intended to leave for personal reasons, according to Guardiola's statement from the previous summer, but he stayed at Etihad Stadium and was once again an important player in 2021-22, tallying 13 goals and seven assists in 50 games.
Since moving from Monaco to Manchester in July 2017, Bernardo has captured four Premier League championships, one FA Cup, and four League Cup victories.
Barcelona managed to sign Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Jules Kounde this summer despite their financial difficulties.
However, the Catalan team is yet to sign Kounde. The club is said to need to raise £17 million to address the problem, and Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may leave before the deadline.
The manager of Barcelona, Xavi, added on Wednesday night that any attempt to get Bernardo in the closing moments of the transfer window would "depend on Man City."
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