Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola won’t ‘allow’ Bernardo Silva to leave the club in January, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Barca’s second attempt
The Premier League midfielder was strongly linked with a move to Barcelona over the summer, although his father later revealed that whilst there was interest from the La Liga giants, no formal offer was ever made.
However, Spanish reports are now claiming that the Camp Nou outfit will make a second attempt to sign the 28-year-old in the winter, with the retirement of Gerard Pique freeing up funds for future transfers.
The Latest: Jones’ comments
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones insisted that whilst Guardiola will never stop a player from leaving, he believes that Silva is too integral a member of City's squad for him to let go.
The journalist said: “We know that Man City are open-minded about letting players move on when they don’t want to be at the club anymore and Pep Guardiola doesn’t typically stand in people’s way.
“I don’t think that he’s going to allow Bernardo to leave halfway through a season, though. He’s played too many games, he’s too important to them, and the second half of the season is going to be about really getting through matches.”
The Verdict: Keep hold of him
Silva has been described as the ‘heartbeat’ of City’s team by Josh Bunting, so losing him would be a massive blow for the Premier League champions.
The Portuguese maestro has clocked up a remarkable 106 goal contributions in 272 appearances during his time at the Etihad Stadium, with his versatility to operate anywhere across the midfield and out wide a huge bonus (Transfermarkt).
His importance to City is further underlined by his presence in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for 2021/22, one of just three players from Guardiola's squad to be selected.
Should the opportunity to move closer to his homeland arrive, it could be difficult to convince Silva to stay in Manchester, but it’s vital that the club do everything that they can to keep hold of him.