Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has cast doubt over his future at the club after refusing to answer a question about rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona.
The Portuguese international starred for his country on Thursday night, providing two assists as goals from Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Guedes gave Portugal a comfortable 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in the Nations League.
Silva has been a key component in Pep Guardiola’s City side as he played a vital role in helping the club win a fourth Premier League title in five years, scoring eight goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances. He was named in the PFA Team of the Season as a result of his performances over the course of the 21/22 campaign.
But now, his future at the Etihad stadium looks to be up in the air, when asked after the game against the Czechs, Silva refused to rule out an exit amid interests from Barcelona.
As per Ojogo, Silva said: “Unfortunately, I won't be able to answer, because I'm at the service of the national team and super focused on the missing game. When the season is over, we'll soon see what happens.”
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Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano also had his say on the matter, he said on Twitter: “No talks or bid yet, just interest - it’s not a possible deal for Barça as of now, only in case Frenkie de Jong will be sold.”
It is likely that Barcelona are starting to draw up a list of replacements as they look to see if Dutch midfielder de Jong will be moved on, with Manchester United reportedly interested in making him the first signing in the Erik ten Hag era.
Silva joined City from AS Monaco back in 2017 in a deal believed to be worth around £43.5 million, since then he has made 166 appearances for the club, scoring 29 times.
Guardiola spoke about Silva in March after Brazilian legend Ze Roberto named him as the best player in Europe.
The City boss said: “I don't know if Bernardo is the best player in the world and I don't care. What I see is an incredibly nice guy. It is a joy to work with him.”
“He is an extraordinary player, absolutely.”
He added: “He is never going to win the Ballon d'Or because you have to be on social media, you have to not just win but score a lot of goals and Bernardo does not have that quality.”
“If one day it will happen I would love it, I would be happy for him like any other player that we have here that one day would win the Ballon d'Or. I would be more than grateful to experience that award with him. For me, as a manager, he can do everything.”
Topics: Bernardo Silva, Manchester City, Barcelona, Football
Marcus Chan