Pep Guardiola has said in the past that he’ll allow any Manchester City player to leave if they’re unhappy, backing up that claim with the sale of Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich and Ferran Torres to Barcelona in consecutive seasons.
He allowed Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling to join Arsenal and Chelsea respectively this summer too, but the City manager wouldn’t allow Bernardo Silva the same treatment when Barcelona came knocking.
Where will Manchester City finish in the Premier League this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th or lower
The 28-year-old has ‘asked’ City to be sold for the last two summers without getting his wish. And if rumours are to be believed, Silva went to extreme lengths to broker a move away in 2021 without success.
He was public about his desire to join the Catalans this summer too, but Oliver Kay of The Athletic says City won’t sell him for less than £84m (€100m), which they know Barca can’t match due to their financial difficulties.
Silva has effectively been priced out of a move but isn’t a player who will create a toxic atmosphere as retaliation. The Portuguese international was outstanding last season despite being denied a move and he recently said he’s happy to stay if a transfer doesn’t materialise.
Guardiola had dropped Silva for City’s first two Premier League games, so fans might see him back in the starting lineup after this latest update.
In other news, Man City’s 4th summer signing could see Kyle Walker lose his place