Pep Guardiola admits Bernardo Silva could leave amid Barcelona links

Pep Guardiola has admitted that Bernardo Silva may leave Manchester City this summer amidst interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.

Speaking to the media ahead of their Premier League opener against West Ham United, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hinted that star midfielder Bernardo Silva might be on his way out of the Etihad amidst strong links to Barcelona.

Bernardo Silva has been on the radars of Barcelona since last summer, with the Catalans intent on landing the 27-year-old midfielder. Having failed to do so in 2021, the Catalan bigwigs are after the Portuguese international’s services once again this summer, although his signing would be contingent on Frenkie de Jong leaving the club.

Silva, for his part, is believed to be keen on joining Barcelona and is understood to have reached an agreement with the Blaugrana over a potential move already.

Manchester City have been standing firm on their stance that the former Benfica and AS Monaco ace is not for sale, with Guardiola himself ruling out an exit in the recent past. However, the Cityzens’ manager has now changed his tune on the future of Silva, admitting that there is a chance that the Portuguese superstar could be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium.

?️ "I don't know what's going to happen…" #ManCity boss Pep Guardiola refuses to rule out Bernando Silva leaving the club this summer. ?⤵️ pic.twitter.com/uswsYS6IbB

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 5, 2022

As quoted by The Guardian, Guardiola said, “What happens will happen, and if he stays, it is perfect and in the end, if he has to leave, it is because football is like this; the player has a desire. I will not be a person to stop a desire for the people. When you are a football player it is so short, you don’t realise, and it is nearly over. The player will have to talk to the club and I have never ever been involved in that.”

“Sometimes for the club, sometimes for the players, sometimes for the agent, sometimes you have to divide our path. Especially the desire of the player is the most important thing. Of course I would love Bernardo to continue here, he is a special player for us. But I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Also Read: Three potential Frenkie de Jong replacements for Barcelona

Those statements come as a huge hint that Manchester City will not stand in the way of an exit if Silva asks them to sanction a move to Barcelona. However, the Blaugrana must offload de Jong first and resolve their player registration issues before they can dream of adding the Portuguese international to their roster.