One of Manchester City's star players is now reportedly ready to force his way out of the club in a bid to join Barcelona.
Check Out: 8 More Players To Leave Man Utd?
According to Sport, Bernardo Silva is the dream transfer for Xavi Hernandez in this transfer window, with the Spaniard having identified the attacking midfielder as his prime target, but knowing that luring him away from the Etihad Stadium could prove too costly for the Blaugrana.
However, with the transfer window still open, the LALIGA champions are hoping a big sale of one of their players will arise in the coming weeks so they can try to sign the 28-year-old.
The Blaugrana and Silva's agent, Jorge Mendes, are believed to be keeping in close contact as a result, and the player's camp has reportedly indicated that they are willing to demand a move to the Camp Nou if the Spanish club asks him to.
However, the five-time European champions are said to be reluctant to ask Silva to do this because they would not be able to register him at this moment in time, due to their tricky financial situation.
A transfer for the Portugal international would demand a big fee as City are rumoured to have already rejected an offer worth €75 million (R1.5 billion) from Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
The same report claims that City do not want to lose the diminutive playmaker, and with two years on his contract, the treble winners possess strong leverage in the matter, as things stand.
Manager Pep Guardiola confirmed as much in a presser on Friday afternoon, saying, according to Manchester World journalist Michael Plant: "I don't want any players who don't want to be here. I want to work with guys who want to stay.
"But we need to get a proper offer, we didn't get a proper offer.
"If they [Barcelona] want him, they will get on a plane and speak to our sporting director."
Check Out: The Rise Of Chelsea's New Hitman, Nicolas Jackson
The ex-AS Monaco man is said to have made his desire to move to Catalonia clear, but as Barca still come to grips with their financial situation, a move to Spain looks unlikely at this point in time.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH VIDEO:
