Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has admitted that his prolific midfielder, Bernardo Silva likes to play for FC Barcelona. The Spanish coach stated this amid Silva’s interest to move to Barcelona this summer.
Bernardo Silva has been trying to convince Manchester City to sell him to FC Barcelona and the Spanish side is also interested in buying him in the last two summers including this outgoing transfer window. However, Manchester City are not interested in letting him go.
Despite the interest Barcelona and Bernardo Silva have for each other, coach Pep Guardiola decided to allow him to play in the ALS Awareness friendly game between the Spanish giants and the Premier League champions.
Guardiola gave Silva 65 minutes of action in the game that ended in a 3-3 draw in front of 90,000 spectators at Camp Nou. After the friendly game, the Spanish tactician who made his name in the coaching world at Barca before he moved to Bayern and then Manchester City, told reporters that he can’t stop Barca’s interest in his player.
Also read: ALS Awareness game between Barcelona and Manchester City ends in a Six-Goal-Thriller
According to Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva “likes Barcelona a lot” but he as his manager at the Etihad Stadium does not want him to exit the club this summer.
“I’m no one to tell Barca to forget about (signing) Bernardo,” Guardiola said.
“We want him to stay with us, but I don’t want anyone who’s not happy. The first thing would be for the clubs to agree, 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.”
Xavi on Bernardo Silva: “Who doesn’t like Bernardo Silva? And De Bruyne or Haaland… Bernardo’s key player for City, who makes a difference”. 🚨🔵 #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 24, 2022
“I like him, because there are very few like him… but that depends on Manchester City”, Xavi added via @barcacentre. pic.twitter.com/97qObeZcDP
What is the contract status of Bernardo Silva at Manchester City?
Bernardo Silva joined Manchester City from Monaco for a transfer fee worth €50 million on January 20, 2015. Since then, he has managed to establish himself as one of the game changers under Pep Guardiola.
Since he arrived at Manchester City, he has scored 49 goals and provided 51 assists in 254 games in all competitions. His effort at City helped the Premier League club to win four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, four league Cups, and two Community Shields.
On March 13, 2019, Bernardo Silva extended his contract with Manchester City. The 6-year contract the Portuguese footballer signed with Manchester City in 2019 reportedly earns him £7,800,000 per year. This means that the Portuguese international earns around £150,000 a week.
Though the contract is expected to expire on June 30, 2025, the Portuguese footballer wants nothing but an opportunity to play for FC Barcelona from this season.
The 28-year-old Portuguese attacking midfielder is also a prominent member of the Portuguese national team. Since he made his international debut on March 31, 2015, Silva has scored 8 goals in 70 appearances.
Some player. OUR #️⃣2️⃣0️⃣. @BernardoCSilva pic.twitter.com/Mqgj0M3j94
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) August 24, 2022
