According to a report from reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have formally informed Barcelona that Bernardo Silva is not for sale this summer and they will not enter any negotiations.
It is no secret that the Blaugrana are hot on the trail of the Portuguese international, with manager Xavi Hernandez urging the club to sign him on a priority.
To that end, the La Liga champions, who missed out on Silva’s capture last season, have already begun preparing a proposal for him – either a loan deal with a buy option or a permanent buy offer worth €65 million plus €10 million.
While rumours of Barcelona intensifying their pursuit of Silva rise, it appears that Manchester City have made their stance on the player absolutely clear.
As per Romano, the Premier League champions have sent a formal message to the Blaugrana informing them that they will not negotiate for Silva this summer as they have no desire to sell him.
The Italian journalist adds that City had sent the same message to PSG a few days back as the Parisians were also keen on the Portuguese superstar, whose market value stands at €80 million.
Having already lost an important player in Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona this summer, Pep Guardiola’s side do not wish to part ways with Silva as well, given how important the player is to the team.
In fact. the Cityzens are already said to be trying to hand him a new contract in order to secure his future at the Etihad Stadium.
What next for Barcelona and Silva?
For Barcelona to stand a chance of convincing Manchester City to change their stance, Silva must make a move and ask for an exit.
The player is said to be keen on a move to Catalonia and it has been previously reported that he would be open to forcing a transfer if things came to that.
Silva has not made any such move up until now and it remains to be seen if he does try to push for a switch to Barcelona or stay with City. His position on the operation will be extremely crucial.
