Paulo Silva has admitted that his son, Bernardo Silva, held talks to sign for FC Barcelona this summer, with the Manchester City star ultimately deciding to stay in the Premier League for the season.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Silva’s father revealed that he and his son held discussions with the Catalan giants over a potential transfer, with Barcelona heavily linked with the Portuguese superstar throughout the summer transfer window, with the midfielder seemingly keen on a move.
However, Silva eventually had a change of heart and opted to remain in Manchester with Pep Guardiola’s side, with Barcelona also reportedly not willing to meet the Premier League champions’ €100m (£84m) demand for the 28-year-old superstar, who has starred for City over the past two seasons.
An integral part to Guardiola’s back-to-back Premier League title wins, Silva would have been an impossible player to replace had Barcelona won the race to sign the playmaker, which is why it came as a relief to the Manchester giants that the midfielder opted to stay for at least another year.
Indeed, whilst City would have recouped a huge transfer fee for Silva, no players in Europe can come close to the importance the former AS Monaco star has in Guardiola’s system, and according to the player’s father, the decision to stay in Manchester was based on rationally choices.
Silva’s father said: “There were lots of talks, but a concrete offer was not made in the timescale we thought was right. When it came, we realised it was no longer the right time for all parties involved. Things have to happen rationally and it was not the ideal scenario for Bernardo. He is a mature player, he is 28-years-old. Things have to be done rationally, not emotionally.”
Silva made the right choice to not sign for Barcelona this summer
Silva will seemingly end up at Barcelona at some stage in his career, yet for now, the midfielder made the right choice to remain at City at the peak of his footballing abilities despite strong interest from Xavi Hernandez’s side over the summer transfer window.
Whilst a move to Catalonia seems obvious in the next two or three years, Silva staying with City is the right decision for the upcoming season, with the Manchester side already looking like the favourites to win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
