Given Barcelona's interest in the midfielder, Bernardo Silva's future with Manchester City appears to be in doubt.
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva
If this is our final wave, it was a magnificent one.
Although Bernardo Silva's future at Manchester City is becoming less definite, the team's fans did everything they could to show him how much they care. During Saturday's 4-0 victory over Bournemouth, Bernardo received a thunderous welcome when he entered the game. One that persisted for several minutes and only became worse if he went to the stands to get a drink or take a corner.
When the game was over, the Portuguese stayed on the field, donated his shirt to a little fan, and cheered from every section of the stadium. It's difficult to resist the impression that such heartfelt moments were a fitting send-off in the event that he never returns to the field.
Despite having such a fantastic season, Bernardo still seems to want to leave this summer because he wants to be closer to his native Portugal. This feeling seems to have persisted from last summer. Despite their well-known financial difficulties, Barcelona is quite interested in signing the midfielder as they attempt to splash the cash and rebuild their team.
Despite the events of Saturday, the Catalonians have not yet made an offer, and Bernardo's colleagues do anticipate that he will stay at the Etihad for the duration of current campaign.But if he does leave, City will unquestionably need to find a successor or run the risk of having just 19 senior players remaining in the season, leaving them with little options.
It would be difficult to find a player in the last few weeks of the window who could step into Bernardo's shoes, especially as one guy with a similar profile appears to be moving on to Nottingham Forest. The Premier League newcomers went all out during the transfer window, approaching it with the same zeal as a lottery winner in a yacht shop. This summer, they have already added a whopping 15 players, and they have more to add.
Aouar Houssem
The transfer shock of the window would be Forest's attempt to sign Houssem Aouar to their roster, which is currently growing. After his move to Real Betis fell through, reports over the weekend from Sky Italia claimed that Forest were closing in on the Frenchman.
Aouar has been mentioned in connection with a move to the Premier League for a while, although City and Arsenal have been mentioned, not a team that is expected to compete for survival. The 24-year-old, who has played over 200 times for Lyon and has 40 goals and 35 assists to his credit, has long been one of Ligue 1's top players. He has also put on several standout performances in the Champions League.
Aouar has faced the Blues three times and has not lost any of those matches, so the Blues have seen firsthand how good he is. The Frenchman was instrumental in Lyon's shocking quarterfinal elimination of Guardiola's team in 2020. He also played a significant role in Lyon's 2-1 victory and 2-2 draw against City in the group stages of that year.
Aouar has long been a favorite of Guardiola's, who gave him high praise back in 2018. After the game, he told reporters: "Houssem Aouar is a very talented player; he is outstanding."
"Ndombele gets a lot of attention, but Aouar is also quite good. With the ball at his feet, he always maintains a high level of composure and technical proficiency.Lyon has a tremendously strong team. There are talented young guys, and I believe the team is tactically sound.
Aouar would be more qualified than others to attempt to replace what Bernardo provides to City, even though it would be difficult for anyone to do so. He possesses a lot of energy in the middle and is also graceful on the ball with a terrific eye for a pass. Importantly, he is a very adaptable player who can play on either flank or anywhere in midfield.
It can't happen frequently that City is advised to pounce and sign a player before Nottingham Forest, but if Bernardo leaves, it might be a wise move to do so.
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