BARCA BLOW SILVA CHANCE
BARCELONA have blown their chance of prising Bernardo Silva away from Manchester City with their dirty tricks campaign to unsettle the Portuguese midfielder.
The constant claims from the Nou Camp that they expect to snatch Silva away have not gone down well at the Etihad.
City are yet to be informed by Barca that they even have an interest in Silva and the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has not told them the 28-year-old wants to leave.
Head
City don’t want to sell Silva (inset) and have slapped an €100m-plus valuation on his head in the knowledge that the Spanish club are struggling financially.
Barcelona’s belief they will get their man for just €70m once they’ve satified FFP rules has been ridiculed in Manchester.
City travel to Spain next week to face Barca in a charity friendly and are expected to take
Silva to make the point that he’s not for sale.
Pep Guardiola has started with the former Benfica and Monaco star on the bench for the first two games of the campaign after fearing that his head has been turned.
But even if he tells City that he wants to leave, his departure looks unlikely. And unless City are able to find a replacement then Silva will find his route out of Manchester closed.
Last summer, Silva asked City for permission to leave for personal reasons, with Spain his preferred destination.
But no club was able to come up with the €75m City were asking and Guardiola was able to persuade the midfielder to knuckle down and help the Blues retain the title.
Silva, a second-half substitute in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth, waved to supporters at the final whistle and then threw his shirt into the crowd.
But City insist he was not saying goodbye. not a punishment but to make him stronger.
“Everything went against us in the week before, it was like we had a witch in the building with all the injuries, so I am proud in the way we responded.
“We needed direction to get in behind the line of five and I thought we were really strong. That was the message before the game.”
The Kop boss was full of praise for Diaz, whose goal capped an impressive display on the left of the Reds’ attack.
Intense
“Luis’s goal was unbelievable,” he said. “He put in a super intense game and an incredible goal.
“We had two other nice opportunities we were a bit unlucky with, but it’s a point. Not what we wanted before the game, but in then end we will take it.”
The German is refusing to panic.
“Not the start we wanted but two points is the least of our problems right now,” he said.
THE good news for Liverpool is that it is Manchester United next.
A few years ago the thought of facing their fiercest rivals after a stuttering start to the season with their star striker suspended amid an injury crisis would have sent shivers down their spines.
Now it might just be the timely confidence boost they need given the chaos at Old Trafford.
But Liverpool certainly need something to get their campaign going as after a false start at Fulham, the Reds failed to find home comfort against Crystal
Palace.
Stupid
There was a stunner from
Luis Diaz — but it came after Wilfried Zaha had silenced Anfield with a super first-half strike and summer signing Darwin Nunez saw red.
The South American stuck his head into Joachim Andersen’s face after a bit of bickering between the pair just