By Betsefy
Manchester City are reportedly unlikely to entertain the sale of Bernardo Silva before the end of the summer transfer window.
Having contributed 48 goals and 50 assists from his 253 appearances in all competitions, the midfielder is regarded as a key man by Pep Guardiola.
However, it has been widely suggested that the Portugal international would be open to signing for Barcelona should the two clubs agree a fee.
The Catalan giants remain under pressure to reduce their wage bill or part ways with players in order to register Jules Kounde and, potentially, Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso in their La Liga squad.
Club officials are also known to be open to selling Frenkie de Jong in a transfer which would immediately help them fulfil those objectives.
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Nevertheless, Sky Sports News suggests that City would not contemplate allowing Silva to leave for Camp Nou unless they had sufficient time to find a replacement.
With less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining, that allegedly means that their stance over the 28-year-old will now tighten in a bid to find some stability.
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly joined Barcelona as admirers of Silva, but the Premier League champions have no intention of accepting an alleged £60m proposal.
While Silva has suggested in the past that he would like a new challenge, he has also insisted that he would give his total commitment to City if he stays at the Etihad Stadium.
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Speaking to ESPN, Silva said: “I’ve been open with them and they know what I want. If I stay, I’m very happy and I will always respect this club and give all my best. If not, it’s football and we’ll just see what happens. It’s a big club and they don’t want players who are not happy at the club.
“They always say to all of us that if you’re not happy, you can go. Of course, they are in business and they want the right amount of money for letting us go but personally, it’s a relationship with the club that is very respectful.”
Silva has only been used as a substitute in City’s opening two Premier League fixtures, playing a total of 37 minutes against West Ham United and Bournemouth respectively.
The former Monaco man’s contract at the top-flight champions runs until the end of 2024-25.
