Bernardo Silva: Man City CEO confirms midfielder has not requested Barcelona transfer
By Tom Gott
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has revealed midfielder Bernardo Silva has not asked to leave the club this summer.
Barcelona are looking to sign the Portugal international but have been met with fierce resistance from City, with Soriano himself recently insisting it is too late in the transfer window for City to authorise such a significant departure.
While manager Pep Guardiola has always insisted he would not block Silva from leaving if he asked for an exit, Soriano has revealed he does not expect such a request to be made anyway.
"Pep always says the same thing: 'The players who want to leave, tell us, and if it's convenient for the team, they leave'," the CEO said. "But it hasn't happened in this case. Luckily, it doesn't happen to us much.
"Now, we've played three league games. It's already too late."
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Silva appears set to stay at City and help Guardiola's side in their pursuit of an elusive Champions League trophy, although Soriano insisted City are not obsessed by the idea of European glory.
“What we did in the last three years is extraordinary,” Soriano said after the group stage draw. “We have won four of the last five Premier Leagues, which means we are very consistent in the way we work and the way we play. By doing that, we also get runs to the final and runs to the semi-final.
“I qualify this as a success no matter what because I know that if we continue to do the same year after year, one day we will get to the final again and one day we will win it.
“We are not obsessed, but I know it’s going to happen.”