Decision ‘made’ over Bernardo Silva’s Man City future after ‘hefty’ price tag put forward

Bernardo Silva’s immediate future at Manchester City could finally have been decided with the midfielder ‘set’ to stay at the club this summer.

The Portuguese international has been linked with a move to Barcelona during the transfer window but now looks unlikely, according to The Athletic.

They claim the midfielder is now ‘focusing’ on his Sky Blues career after a switch to the La Liga club looks unrealistic due to their current financial situation.

The site adds that City’s valuation of Silva - between £80-85m - has deterred Barcelona from pursuing a deal for him.

Barcelona have had a busy summer so far with six new signings, including securing the signature of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich for £42.5m.

They have also splashed significant fees on Raphina (£55m) and Jules Kounde (£42m) in order to bolster their squad, leading to questions as to where their funds are being sourced.

Meanwhile, Liam Delap looks set to depart the Etihad Stadium on loan with Stoke City the expected destination for the forward.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, an agreement between the Sky Blues and Potters has been reached.

He adds that Stoke were among several clubs interested in signing the 19-year-old on loan this summer, while Southampton attempted to secure his signature on a permanent basis, submitting a £16m bid last month.

Ornstein claims the England youth international is set to undergo a medical at the Potters today.

Once the deal is completed, Delap will become the second member of his family to don the red and white stripes of Stoke, with his father Rory Delap playing for the Potters between 2007-2011.

Pep Guardiola confirmed his intent to loan Delap out during the transfer window in his pre-match press conference last weekend.

"We loaned Macca McAtee, Liam is in that process because we have Erling [Haaland] and Julian [Alvarez] and he needs minutes,” he said.

“The EDS process has gone, is done [for Delap]. He has to try and go there and play."

The forward has featured six times for City in all competitions, scoring once, and secured the Premier League 2 Golden Boot and Player of the Year in 2021.