Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has rejected a potential move to Arsenal as he is interested in a switch to La Liga giants Barcelona.

Speaking to Transfer Talk, as relayed by Transfer Market Web, Portuguese journalist Felipe Dias has claimed that Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva has turned down a chance to join Premier League rivals. The 27-year-old harbours hopes of a transfer to Barcelona, although such a move looks highly unlikely.

Silva has been with Manchester City since the summer of 2017, having arrived from French club AS Monaco. The Portuguese international has proven to be a valuable asset for manager Pep Guardiola with his versatility and effectiveness in the final third.

However, the 27-year-old is now keen on a transfer away from the Etihad this summer amid concerns over his game-time following the arrival of Jack Grealish in a club-record £100 million. Guardiola himself has confirmed that Silva is keen on an exit, leading to a flurry of speculations surrounding his future.

Arsenal emerged as one of the suitors for the Portuguese international, with talks said to be open between the Gunners and Manchester City. It is no secret that Mikel Arteta is on the lookout for a creative midfielder this summer in order to address the chance-creation issue that they suffered in the first half of the last season.

Silva to reject Arsenal in hope of Barcelona (Photo by Pedja Milosavljevic/AFP/Getty Images)
Silva to reject Arsenal in hope of Barcelona (Photo by Pedja Milosavljevic/AFP/Getty Images)

While Arsenal are keen on the idea of signing Silva, the same cannot be said about the former Monaco star. As per journalist Felipe Dias, the Manchester City playmaker has rejected a potential transfer to Arsenal and wishes to join Barcelona.

“The information we have is that Bernardo has made it pretty clear that this is the right time for him to leave. He did want to go to Barcelona. He wanted to live in Barcelona and play for Barcelona but Barcelona is going through such a big crisis that I don’t think they can afford a player like him at the moment,” Dias said.

“The latest we heard is that Bernardo has rejected a move to Arsenal and if that is the case I think rightly so because I don’t think that would be a step forward in his career. So, as it stands, Bernardo does want to leave City, but there’s a big question mark as far as where he will go.”

Barcelona have been linked with a move for Silva this summer. However, given their current financial situation, wherein they are struggling to register the players that they have already signed in the ongoing transfer window, it does seem highly unlikely that the Catalans would be in a position to sign a player like Silva, who will command a sizeable transfer fees.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.