Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he has no desire to offload Bernardo Silva this summer - after Barcelona president Joan Laporta appeared to confirm that the Spanish giants have rekindled their interest in the 27-year-old.
Barcelona spent weeks chasing Silva last summer and did everything in their power to lure the midfielder to the Nou Camp. But Manchester City held onto the man that some had assumed to be surplus to requirements - and the Portuguese playmaker went on to enjoy his best-ever season for City.
Silva racked up 13 goals and seven assists in all competitions to lead the way for City, who lifted their fourth Premier League title in five years. But Silva's stunning form has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona seemingly now poised to try and prise the midfielder away from the Etihad again.
Both Guardiola and Laporta made light of that interest during a light-hearted exchange at a press conference confirming that City and Barca would meet in a friendly for charity in Spain this summer. When Laporta cheekily asked if Guardiola would bring Silva to the Nou Camp, Guardiola laughed: “Bernardo and 10 more."
And the City chief then doubled down on his stance, insisting that the ex-Monaco man is too important to be allowed to leave. He added: “Today I think he will continue with us but I have always said I don’t want players that don’t want to be with us. But Bernardo is important and I think he will stay.”
Ironically, it is believed that City would have sanctioned an exit for Silva last summer after the midfielder asked to move to Spain for family reasons. But Silva has re-established himself as one of City's premier players over the past 12 months - and it's unlikely the champions will now have any desire to sell.
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Silva had been earmarked by Barcelona as a potential replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who is being chased by City's rivals, Manchester United. However, it is unlikely that Barcelona would be able to raise enough from any potential sale to seriously test City's stance on Silva - even if De Jong does, as expected, end up fetching around £70million.
Meanwhile, City are pressing ahead with their own transfer plans as they look to continue their domestic dominance. Guardiola has already reinforced his attacking options with the signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.
It's believed that the City chief is also in the market for a left-back and a defensive midfielder to replace Fernandinho, who leaves the club at the end of this month. Marc Cucurella and Kieran Tierney are reportedly targets to fill City's full-back vacancy, while the champions are keen on signing Leeds United talisman Kalvin Phillips to shore up their midfield.
