Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has refused to rule out a move away from the Etihad amid repeated claims of Barcelona’s interest to acquire his services this summer.
The attacking midfielder has come off the bench in the first two league for the Citizens, replacing İlkay Gündoğan on both occasions.
Sport on Sunday explain the reason behind this is Pep Guardiola is taking into account the player could leave Manchester City ‘very soon’ and end up signing for the Catalan club.
Silva was the last player to leave the pitch and was applauded by the home supporters at the Etihad, after his side’s 4-0 win over AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. His gesture has been interpreted as a ‘farewell’ from the Premier League winners.
This could suggest his move Barca may be close. The report says the Blaugrana have an agreement in place with the Portugal international for a four-year deal.
At the moment, the great unknown is the fee and at the Camp Nou, they talk about a figure over €65m.
Mundo Deporitvo also state the player’s gesture towards home fans after yesterday’s tie looks like a ‘farewell’.
It’s claimed Silva has ‘everything agreed’ with Xavi Hernández’s side and only the agreement is missing between the two clubs.
Manchester City’s next game at the Etihad is against Crystal Palace on August 27th. If Barca end up selling Frenkie de Jong for €85m before that, then the money earned through his sale will be invested to sign Silva.
The newspaper end their report on Silva by stating: ‘If he leaves, the apparent farewell yesterday Saturday would make sense. He wants to get out of a club he appreciates and in which he has exploited.’
