Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hinted that Bernardo Silva can be allowed to leave the club amid heavy interest from Barcelona. The La Liga giants are reportedly looking to sign the Portuguese midfielder, as the Spanish boss has insisted that he wants him to stay but doesn’t know whether that will happen or not.
Barcelona’s Pursuit of Bernardo Silva Strengthened by Pep Guardiola’s Comments
🚨 Bernardo Silva wants to join Barcelona this summer.
(Source: @Sport) pic.twitter.com/4yF95xNJlb
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 3, 2022
What the Manchester City Manager Said About Silva
Addressing the future of Silva with the reigning Premier League champions, Guardiola said: “Sometimes you have to divide our path (sell). I want people to be happy here. I would love Bernardo to continue here, he’s a very special player for all of us, but I don’t know what is going to happen.
“As far as I know, we didn’t get any offer. Last season either. Bernardo is ready and training really well and ready for Sunday (against West Ham).
“I didn’t say he’d leave. The answer was the same as last season. You ask me every week, I always say I want the best for the players. I want Bernardo to stay. 100 per cent.”
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Going by these comments, it’s evident that Silva could well be moving to Barcelona in the summer. The La Liga giants have already reportedly agreed personal terms with the Portuguese midfielder and he is more than willing to join them.
How Barcelona Can Seal the Signing
The Blaugrana are reportedly optimistic about their chances of signing the 27-year-old after getting enough reassurances from him about wanting to sign for them. However, they already have a blockbuster transfer window in which they’ve already spent over £130 million in transfer fees.
For them to make more signings and register the likes of Silva to their La Liga squad, they would have to ‘activate more levers’. That means Barcelona might have to sell off certain assets of the club to generate immediate revenue in order to get the money to pay the transfer fee to the Citizens for the Portuguese midfielder’s signing, as well as pay his salary.
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Another way that can help them do it is possibly by selling Frenkie de Jong. They already reportedly have agreed a £71 million transfer fee with Manchester United, receiving which can help them finance the deal for Silva. Offloading the Dutch international could also enable the Spanish side to fix their wage bill and register the 27-year-old.
It doesn’t look like Barcelona’s transfer business is done this summer and they’ll probably be encouraged by Guardiola’s comments to make a move for Silva – who was once dubbed as ‘the best player in the Premier League’ by the Spaniard.
