Pep Guardiola has insisted that he wants Bernardo Silva to remain at Manchester City but admitted that the decision is not within his control, with Barcelona interested. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said in June that he thought Bernardo Silva would remain at City, with The Athletic reporting Barcelona are once again interested in the Portuguese midfielder but are being held back by their financial difficulties. Pep Guardiola does not like to keep any player that wants out. Still, given how crucial Bernardo Silva has been to City’s recent success, the manager admitted that retaining the Portuguese was his preferred option, with the Portuguese preferring to go to other clubs in Spain. Bernardo Silva has praised Pep Guardiola’s man-management in keeping Manchester City’s roster full of world-class players happy, despite the frequent turnover, following confirmation that he intends to rejoin Benfica as a player at some stage of his career.
Bernardo Silva wanted out of Manchester City during the summer. Still, he did not receive any reasonable offers, with the popular Portuguese midfielder being a crucial part of Pep Guardiola’s team this term. Bernardo Silva played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s title defence last season, although previous summer links suggested Barcelona would be interested. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that he was not sure whether Bernardo Silva would remain at City or not. He stressed Manchester City had received no offers regarding Silva during the current transfer window. Alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo has started each of City’s three preseason games in midfield, playing a little more defensive role than his attacking one last year. That is partly because of the addition of two number nines, who have relieved the burden of playing as the “false nine” off players like Bernardo, De Bruyne, Phil Foden, and Riyad Mahrez.
He excelled in this capacity in 19–20, even if his offensive contribution was less impressive than the two years prior. Instead, he enhanced his technical and positional game to a level that considerably raised his total quality. Bernardo Silva’s services are sought after by Barcelona. At the same time, the City coach is adamant he wants the Portuguese midfielder to stay at the Etihad Stadium, stating he wants only to keep the happy player. Silva has been heavily linked with Barcelona’s transfer all over the market, although there are financial issues for the Catalan club. With the La Liga outfit reported to be firmly set on sanctioning a sale of Frenkie de Jong to either Chelsea or Manchester United in an attempt to alleviate its wage bill, Bernardo Silva is seen as an ideal midfield replacement.