Marca on Monday reports that out-of-contract Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has yet to make a decision over his playing future, despite reports from Catalonia claiming that he has given his word to join FC Barcelona.
Atlético de Madrid remain firmly in the race for Bernardo, who has definitively decided to continue his decorated playing career in Spain so that he can be close to his family in Portugal. The Lisbon native and 107-time Portugal international has found himself at the center of escalating institutional tension between Atlético and Barcelona — which has reached a new level in the days since Atleti issued a public, irony-laden rebuke of Barça for its underhanded pursuit of star forward Julián Alvarez.
Inside Atlético, there is wariness over Barcelona’s interest in Bernardo and how legitimate it is. It’s been nearly two weeks since Marca’s initial report that Atlético had chosen the 31-year-old as the player to best “cushion” Antoine Griezmann’s imminent departure: an accomplished, versatile playmaker who would arrive as an immediate, undisputed starter under Diego Simeone.
However, Barcelona’s “interference” in the negotiations has slowed down a deal that appeared to be on track last week as Mateu Alemany and Jorge Mendes got closer to an agreement over Bernardo’s salary.
“Atlético are not so convinced that the interest from Camp Nou is so firm, or that they are really looking to add Bernardo to a midfield group that is already deep,” writes Isaac Suárez. “They understand it might be another intentional leak stemming from the war over Julián, designed to slow down the agreement and drive up the player’s price.”
Mundo Deportivo has reported that Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick would approve of Bernardo’s arrival at Spotify Camp Nou, and the same outlet said Sunday that the six-time Premier League champion is “willing to wait” for Barcelona to get its house in order (i.e. sell players to lower the wage bill) before he signs for them. This contradicts previous reporting — not to mention the player’s own preference — that indicated Bernardo wanted his future settled before Portugal’s first World Cup match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17.
It feels like this is decision week for Bernardo and Atlético. Regardless of whether Barcelona’s interest in Bernardo — which has been noted in the past — is genuine or something less so, Alemany is showing that he wants to close deals fast this summer. He will doubtless continue to press Mendes for an answer as to Bernardo’s future in the coming days.
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