Manchester City have enjoyed a bright start to the new season but had a difficult summer with so many players leaving in the same transfer window – Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal, Raheem Sterling to Chelsea, Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal.
And while Aymeric Laporte and Ilkay Gundogan are no longer considering moves away from City, Pep Guardiola still has an issue with Bernardo Silva. For the second consecutive summer, the 28-year-old wants to join Barcelona, but Guardiola said City would have to sign a replacement if they were to let him go.
Where will Manchester City finish in the Premier League this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th or lower
As per Sky Sports, he told reporters: “There are only seven or eight days left (in the window) and we would have to turn to the transfer market.”
Silva scored 13 goals with seven assists from 50 games across the board last season, so it’s easy to see why Barcelona want the midfielder. The Portuguese international has one goal and one assist from four games this campaign, so he won’t be an easy player to replace.
Barcelona haven’t even lodged an offer for the playmaker and the summer transfer window shuts next week, so City might be confident of keeping Silva. But while City must prepare for Silva’s potential exit by having an alternative lined up, what clubs are selling a player of Silva’s calibre this late in the window?
In other news, Pep Guardiola says ‘there has been no offer’ for Bernardo Silva amid interest