Barcelona won't make a move for Bernardo Silva this summer, if he continues to command a high transfer fee.
Bernardo admitted this week that he could look for a 'new project' away from Manchester City before his current deal expires in 2025. Discussing his ambition to return to Benfica one day, Bernardo, 28, admitted that in order to fit in what he wants from the remainder of his career, then he may have to leave City.
It's not the first time Bernardo has asked to leave the Etihad, after he looked for an exit last summer only for no suitable offers to come in. Then, Barcelona were making plenty of noises about trying to sign Bernardo, but were eventually priced out of any signing.
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Now, Barca president Joan Laporta says his club are 'surely' not going to make another move for Bernardo, simply because his asking price will be too high.
Speaking to Cadena Ser, Laporta insisted Barcelona wouldn't pay a fee of around €80m - Bernardo's rumoured asking price - therefore effectively shutting down the idea of a summer approach.
Laporta said: "Bernardo Silva for 80 million will surely not come ... because we will not pay them."
When City announced a friendly at Barcelona in August, much of the focus from the Catalan media surrounded Bernardo's future, and Pep Guardiola couldn't guarantee that his Portuguese midfielder would still be at the Etihad past the summer transfer deadline.
Bernardo stayed, though, and said in his recent interview that he will continue to give 100 per cent to City as long as he is there, while also accepting his asking price may make a sale difficult.
Also in Laporta's interview was a comment on City striker Erling Haaland, as he tried to position Barcelona in the queue to sign Haaland if he ever leaves the club - something his father Alfie has suggested could be part of their longer-term career plan for the Norwegian.
Laporta said: "I hear that Haaland's father is saying that after a while at City maybe ... but we'll see how it evolves, for now we're doing our thing, that [Robert] Lewandowski is doing very well."
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