Pep Guardiola is personally blocking Bernardo Silva’s departure from the club, despite the attacker being open to a move.
That’s according to Le Parisien, who report that the City boss is unwilling to let go of a player who is such an important part of his team.
Bernardo asked to leave City in each of the previous three summers, although it’s unclear if he has done so again this time.
Pep blocking Bernardo’s wishes
Another report claims that Bernardo – long linked with Barcelona – actually wants to join Paris Saint-Germain, and already envisions himself playing at the Parc des Princes next season.
However, multiple reports have spelled out how difficult it will be for the French giants to prise the 28-year-old away from City.
Bernardo is believed to be a player incoming PSG manager Luis Enrique wants to sign, but according to French Football Weekly, the complexity of a potential deal means he is no longer the club’s priority target.
Part of that could be down to Guardiola, who is reluctant to lose a player he previously described as ‘unique’ and “one of the best players I ever trained in my life, ever.”
The Portuguese international is under contract until 2025, so it would likely take a significant offer to change Guardiola’s mind.
Guardiola’s position is at odds with his usual stance on player departures
It has been well documented that Guardiola is happy to let players leave who no longer want to be at City, provided they bring a suitable offer to the table.
That was the case last summer when Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko all left for Premier League rivals.
It appears that Bernardo is an exception to Pep’s rule, given his importance to the team and the difficulty City would have in replacing him.
It might just be that City have received no suitable offers for the attacker, but having already lost Ilkay Gundogan this summer, their asking price is likely to be high.
