Pep Guardiola addresses the future of long-term Barcelona target: “Belongs to him”

Speaking at a press conference, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has addressed the future of star midfielder and Barcelona transfer target Bernardo Silva.

The 28-year-old Portuguese international has been on Barça’s radars for a long time now. The Catalans were keen on signing him in each of the last two summer transfer windows but the move did not materialise due to financial issues.

While Silva continues to be a dream target for Barcelona manager Xavi, their Financial Fair Play issues remain a major impediment in their pursuit of the playmaker.

But the former AS Monaco ace is seemingly open to an exit, as he admitted in a recent interview, saying: “I’m 28 years old, I’ll be 29 in the summer, and I have two more years on my Manchester City contract. My contract would end at 31.

“I will not hide that my goal in the coming years if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project.”

Responding to the comments made by Silva, Guardiola said that he remains a key part of his plans at the Etihad Stadium but the midfielder’s future remains up to him to decide.

“He’s a key player, so important on and off the pitch. A guy who can talk, always a nice conversation, always you learn about his humanity, his vision for the club,” Guardiola said as quoted by Manchester Evening News.

“He’s an incredible player against top sides, incredibly reliable in decisive games he’s always there. Nothing changed about his future, it belongs to him.”

Barcelona are on the lookout for a new midfielder in the summer. While a replacement for Sergio Busquets remains the top priority, Xavi & co. are also open to signing an interior midfielder.

Silva, as iterated earlier, remains Xavi’s dream, but the club’s economic problems and FFP issues mean that a transfer seems impossible at the moment.